THE  LIBRARIES 


Bequest  of 

Frederic  Bancroft 

1860-1945 


X 


'.-3^        %1^ 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTINDALE. 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  AND  SERMONS 


Elder  Elijah  Martindale 


PIONEER  HISTORY  OF  THE  BOYD  FAMILY 


By  Belle  Stanford 


INDIANAi^OjLI^^  ,   ;/, 

CARLOX    &    HOLLENBECK,    PRINTERS 

'',  ,1802  : 


cl 


<)6>1L<^ 


INTRODUCTION. 


Few  men  in  the  Christian  ministry  to- 
day know  what  toils  and  privations  accom- 
panied the  early  pioneer  preachers. 

It  is  well  to  take  a  glance  backward,  and 
read  a  few  sketches  of  those  men  who  went 
forth  without  money  and  without  price,  try- 
ing to  sow  the  seed  of  the  Kingdom  in  tlie 
wild  regions  of  America. 

In  preparing  the  second  part  of  this  work 
for  publication,  it  is  not  the  sole  object 
merely  to  preserve  a  family  history,  but  to 
show  to  the  present  generation  what  it  cost 
our  forefathers  to  purchase  the  blessings  and 
liberties  that  we  as  a  nation  enjoy. 

Belle  St.\xford. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


PART  FIRST. 

CHAPTER  I. 
Birth  and  Early  Training — Emigration  to  Ohio — 
To  Indiana — Indian  Troubles'— Returning  a  Sec- 
ond Time  to  Our  New  Home — Religious  Impres- 
sions         1 

CHAPTER  II. 

Marriage — Deep  Conviction  for  Sin— Christian  Ex- 
perience and  Baptism— A  Journey  with  William 
Stubbs — Uniting  with  the  XewHght  Church.  ...     10 

CHAPTER  III. 
Ordained   to   the    Ministry— First    Sermon— Pov- 
erty and  Persecution— Mourners  Uncomforted— 
Preaching  Near  New  Lisbon— Flattery 18 

CHAPTER  IV. 
The  Jerusalem  Doctrine  Calls  Down  Persecution — 
Voted    Out  of    the   New   House — Some    Things 
Lacking  —  Controversial  Preaching  —  Ministers 
Exhorted  to  Faithfulness 25 

CHAPTER  V. 
Preaching  the  Gospel — Desire _f or  Unio» — Love  for 
the  Erring — Zeal  of  the  Old  Preachers 31 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Preaching  Near  Middletown 38 


vi  TABLK  OF  COXTKNTS. 

CHAPTKK  VII. 
Preaching  at  Beiitoiiville 44 

CHAPTER  YIII. 

A  Flourishing  Church  at  Hillsboro 51 

IIRIEF  ARTICLES  AND  SERMOXS. 

CHAPTER  IX. 

On    Family  Training 59 

CHAPTER  X. 

The  Gospel  Invitation CA 

CHAPTER  XL 

Thanksgiving  Sermon 69 

CHAPTER  XII. 
Sermon  on  Prayer 74 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
Letter  to  Church  Members 80 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
Object  and  Form  of  Local  Churches 82 

CHAPTER   XV. 

On  Exhortation 85 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Parable  of   the  Ten  Virgins 87 

CHAPTER  XVIL 

Religion  and  Politics 94 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
Where  is  the  True  Church  of  Christ 98 


TABLE  UF  CONTENTS.  yii 

CHAPTER    XIX. 
Letter  to  My  Brother  John 103 

CHAPTER   XX. 

Extract  from  a  Speech  Delivered  at  an  <)1<1  Set- 
tlers' Meeting,  New  Castle,  August  10,  1871 107 

CHAPTER    XXI. 

Sermon  Delivered  at  Xew  Castle 1 10 

Song 115 

History  of  the  Martindale  Family  in  America,  by 
Elijah   Martindale 117 

PART  SECOND. 

CHAPTER   I. 

P'Jizabeth  Martindale — She  Sends  Out  a  Mission- 
ary— The  Boyd  Family  in  the  Revolutionary 
War ". 120 

CHAPTER  II. 
History  of  Samuel  Boyd  and  Family 126 

CHAPTER  III. 

Samuel  Boyd  Among  the  Indians 136 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Elijah  and  Elizabeth  Martindale  and  Family 141 

CHAPTER  V. 

The  Boyd  Family 153 

CHAPTER  YI. 
The  History  of  Dr.  Boyd  and  His  Brothers  in  the 
Army 162 

CHAPTER  YII. 
Pioneer  Life  at  Mt.  Yernon 160 


CHAPTER  I. 

BIRTH  AND  EARLY  TRAINING — EMIGRATION  TO  OHIO— TO 
INDIANA — INDIAN  TROUBLES — RETURNING  A  SECOND 
TIME    TO    OUR    NEW    HO^IE — RELIGIOUS    IMPRESSIONS. 

I  was  born  in  Laurence  District,  South 
Carolina,  November  10,  1793.  I  was  the 
oldest  child  of  my  mother,  who  was  a 
pious  member  of  the  Baptist  church.  To 
her  more  than  any  earthly  means  am  I 
indebted  for  that  influence  which  made 
me  a  Christian.  Well  do  I  remember 
the  first  family  prayer  she  ever  made 
with  her  children.  I  was  quite  young 
but  I  never  entirely  lost  the  impression 
that  was  made  on  my  mind  by  that 
prayer.  I  now  believe  that  the  admoni- 
tions, warnings,  exhortations  and  prayers 
of  a  faithful  mother  seldom  if  ever  fail  to 
bring  her  children  under  the  saving 
power  of  the  Gospel. 


2  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

My  father  became  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  church  when  I  was  about  ten 
years  old.  I  remember  how  it  rejoiced 
my  mother  when  she  got  her  companion 
to  join  her  in  the  service  of  the  Lord. 
When  I  was  about  eight  years  old  my 
father  left  the  South  and  moved  to  War- 
ren county,  Ohio,  where  I  was  brought  to 
manhood. 

In  the  fall  of  1811  we  moved  to  the 
Territory  of  Indiana  and  my  father,  John 
Martindale,  bought  land  in  Wayne 
county,  and  built  his  cabin  on  the  creek 
that  took  his  name  and  will  carry  it  per- 
haps to  the  end  of  time. 

In  a  few  days  after  we  made  our  settle- 
ment came  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe,  then 
war  with  England,  and  what  was  worse 
the  uprising  of  the  Indians  in  many  parts 
of  Indiana.  Those  dark  and  gloomy  days, 
so  full  of  23eril  and  danger,  come  throng- 
ing back  in  my  memory  yet.  The  In- 
dians became  so  troublesome  that  a  few 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTIXDALE.  3 

settlers  went  to  work  and  built  a  fort,  en- 
closing our  cabin  with  a  block-house,  and 
some  two  or  three  families  moved  in. 
We  soon  found  this  to  be  a  very  unhappy 
way  of  living.  The  fort  was  protected  to 
some  extent  by  rangers  sent  out  by  the 
government  to  watch  the  movements  of 
the  Indians,  yet  father,  seeing  the  bad  in- 
fluence by  which  his  family  was  sur- 
rounded, concluded  to  move  back  to  Ohio. 
Before  he  left  he  was  visited  by  his 
cousin,  David  Young,  who  had  bought 
land  in  the  neighborhood  Avhere  the  city 
of  Richmond  now  stands.  He  had  moved 
his  family  away  for  fear  of  the  Indians 
and  was  living  alone  trying  to  raise  some 
corn.  He  greatly  desired  father  to  let  me 
go  home  with  him  and  help  him  to  tend 
his  corn.  I  went,  and  while  I  was  there 
a  large  company  of  Indians  claiming  to 
be  friendly  came  into  the  neighborhood 
to  buy  provisions.  They  made  their 
camp  a  short  distance  west  of   Young's 


4  AUTOBIOGEAPHY  OF 

house,  which  lay  right  between  their 
camp  and  the  settlement,  so  they  would 
pass  us  generally  twice  a  day.  We  didn't 
feel  much  afraid  of  them  while  they  kept 
sober,  but  after  some  days  some  wicked 
person  sold  liquor  to  a  squad  of  them  and 
made  them  drunk,  so  drunk  they  could 
not  get  into  camp,  but  late  in  the  iiight 
they  stumbled  into  Young's  house  where 
we  were  fast  asleep.  They  hallooed. 
Young  awake  and  ordered  the  door  open. 
He  made  no  reply.  They  then  forced  the 
door  open  and  came  in,  ten  or  twelve  in 
number,  all  drunk,  singing,  dancing  and 
hallooing  at  the  top  of  their  voices.  By 
this  time  Young  had  succeeded  in  waking 
me  by  severe  pinching  as  he  was  afraid 
to  speak  to  me.  He  said  in  a  whis- 
per, "What  shall  we  do?"  I  think  he 
proposed  leaving  the  house.  I  had  been 
more  among  the  Indians  than  he  and  I 
suppose  was  not  so  much  alarmed,  though 
I  was  then  but  a  boy.     I  said  let  us  get 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTIXDALE.  5 

up  and  spread  some  bedding  on  the  floor 
and  order  those  drunken  rascals  with 
authority  to  lie  down  and  be  still.  We 
did  so'  and  succeeded  in  getting  them 
all  to  lie  down.  We  went  to  bed 
and  I  slept  soundly,  but  my  friend 
Young  said  he  slept  no  more  that 
night,  but  lay  and  watched  our  intruders. 
He  said  several  times  one  or  more  would 
rise  and  dance  awhile,  then  lie  down 
again.  I  have  often  wondered  why  I  was 
so  insensible  to  the  dangers  we  were  in 
'with  those  dru^iken  savages,  who  were 
always  filled  with  hatred  to  the  white 
man,  and  especially  in  a  state  of  intoxica- 
tion. The  Pottawotamies  and  the  Dela- 
wares  were  the  tribes  most  common. 
They  owned  all  the  land  west  of  the  West 
Fork  of  Whitewater  and  east  of  the  Wa- 
bash. All  this  beautiful  land  was  an  un- 
broken wilderness  under  the  claims  of  the 
savages. 

In  the  war  of  1812  the  frontier  settlers 


6  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

suffered  mostly  from  that  barbarous  prac- 
tice of  bribing  the  savages  to  murder  in- 
nocent women  and  children.  Some  of  the 
tribes  professed  to  be  neutral,  but  they 
no  doubt  were  in  league  with  the  war  In- 
dians and  would  often  commit  murder 
and  robbery  in  order  to  sell  the  scalps 
and  plunder  to  those  in  the  British  serv- 
ice. At  all  events  they  were  much  in- 
clined to  do  mischief,  and  few  of  them 
could  be  trusted. 

When  peace  was  restored  we  moved 
back  to  our  new  home  and  went  to  work 
to  clear  away  the  forest  trees  and  make  a 
farm.  We  had  but  little  chance  for  im- 
provement from  either  church  or  school, 
but  there  was  more  kindness  and  neigh- 
borly services  than  I  find  in  older  settled 
countries.  When  people  attain  wealth 
they  are  apt  to  lose  that  brotherly  regard 
that  is  necessary  to  social  enjoyment  in 
this  life.  My  father's  house  was  for  sev- 
eral years  the  meeting  place  of  the  Bap- 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTINDALE.  7 

tist  people.  Adams  Banks,  James  Smith 
and  others  were  the  preachers.  I  often  felt 
deep  convictions  at  these  meetings.  My 
kind  parents  took  much  pains  to  enlighten 
my  mind  in  regard  to  the  great  truths  of 
the  Bible.  My  early  religious  training 
was  among  the  Baptists  and  Methodists 
exclusively.  The  first  deep  and  lasting 
conviction  for  sin  or  the  danger  of  living 
and  'dying  in  sin  was  fastened  on  my  mind 
in  hearing  a  discourse  from  Adjet  Mac- 
guire,  a  Methodist  minister,  on  the  words 
of  Jesus,  "Come  unto  me  all  ye  that  labor 
and  are  heavy  laden  and  I  will  give  you 
rest."  The  sermon  was  such  an  exhibi- 
tion of  the  love  of  God  in  the  gift  of  his 
son,  of  the  love  and  condescension-  of  our 
adorable  Savior  in  coming  from  Heaven 
to  this  poor  earth,  in  laboring  and  teach- 
ing, in  suifering  and  dying,  and  all  to 
save  poor  lost  souls  such  as  I  felt  myself 
to  be.  Oh  !  it  was  an  arrow  from  the  di- 
vine quiver  fastened  in  my  heart.     I  was 


8  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

then  about  fifteen  years  of  age.  Most 
likely  I  should  have  joined  the  Methodist 
church  then  had  it  not  been  for  the  strong- 
objections  of  my  father  ;  he  didn't  like 
the  doctrine  taught  by  the  Methodists.  I 
was  often  religiously  impressed  by  hear- 
ing both  Baptist  and  Methodist  sermons 
after  the  time  referred  to,  but  such  was 
the  influence  of  parties  and  sects  in  re- 
ligion that  I  was  thrown  back  into  sin 
and  wasted  some  ten  years  of  my  life  that 
might  have  been  spent  in  the  service  of 
my  Master  if  the  good  people  had  been 
united  happily  in  the  oneness  for  which 
Christ  so  earnestly  prayed.  Oh.  what  a 
debt  of  thankfulness  I  owe  to  God  for 
sparing  my  life  until  I  could  get  clear  of 
Satan's  net  spread  out  to  entangle  me 
through  the  work  of  a  divided  church. 
Creeds  and  names  and  a  party  spirit  is 
the  great  hindrance  to  the  conversion  of 
the  world  to-day.  It  is  a  Babel  of  confu- 
sion which    causes    many  poor   souls   to 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTINDALE.  9 

wander  on  in  sin.  May  the  Lord  hasten 
the  time  when  such  discord  and  strife 
will  cease  and  the  watchmen  ujoon  the 
walls  of  Zion  will  speak  the  same  things, 
fulfilling  the  prayer  of  the  Savior,  "  that 
they  may  be  one  in  us  that  the  world 
may  believe  that  thou  hast  sent  me." 


10  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 


CHAPTER  II. 

MARRIAGE — DEEP  CONVICTION  FOR  SIN — EXPERIENCE  AND 
BAPTISM — A  JOURNEY  WITH  WILLIAM  STUBBS — UNITING 
WITH  THE  NEWLIGHT  CHURCH. 

I  was  .married  to  Elizabeth,  daughter 
of  Samuel  Boyd,  October  12,  1815.  My 
companion  was  a  member  of  the  church 
called  JN'ewlights.  I  was  greatly  preju- 
diced against  these  people.  I  thought 
their  religion  was  merely  animal  excite- 
ment. I  once  attended  a  meeting  near 
Jacksonburg,  Wayne  county,  Indiana. 
The  excitement  was  carried  to  a  high 
pitch.  The  jerks  were  common  in  those 
meetings.  While  I  was  trying  to  muster 
up  evidence  to  condemn  the  work  I  was 
so  full  of  superstition  and  my  mind  so 
darkened  in  religious  matters,  I  remem- 
ber going  to  the  woods  to  pray  to  the 
Lord  to  give  me  some  way  or  means  to 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTINDALE.  11 

decide  whether  the  work  was  of  God  or 
not.  Why  did  I  not  go  to  the  Bible?  I 
well  knew  that  I  was  an  unconverted  man, 
and  I  had  been  strictly  taught  that  such 
an  one  could  not  understand  the  Scrip- 
tures. I  will  here  state  that  after  nearly 
a  half  century  of  my  life  has  been  spent 
in  reading,  praying  and  preaching  the 
Grospel,  I  am  more  confirmed  in  the  be- 
lief that  this  relic  of  popery,  this  teach- 
ing that  excludes  the  unconverted  from 
learning  the  will  of  God  by  reading  the 
Scriptures,  is  not  only  erroneous  but  dan- 
gerous to  the  souls  of  men.  For  several 
years  after  I  was  married  and  settled  in 
life,  I  was  in  deep  trouble  about  my  soul, 
and  although  much  error  was  mixed  with 
my  former  teaching,  yet  one  great  truth 
was  firmly  fixed  in  my  heart :  "  You  must 
be  born  again."  Wherever  I  Avent  I  was 
followed  by  these  powerful  words.  I  tried 
to  shield  myself  by  the  errors  of  the 
churches ;  I   scrutinized   the   conduct    of 


12  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

23rofessors  and  tried  to  bring  them  on  a 
level  with  myself,  but  this  truth  still 
rankled  in  my  heart :  "  You  must  be  born 
again  or  be  forever  lost."  I  went  to  the 
preachers  of  different  orders  ;  some  would 
say,  "  stand  still  and  see  the  salvation  of 
God ;"  others  would  say,  "  pray  on  till  you 
find  relief."  This  last  advice  I  heeded 
most.  How  could  I  help  trying  to  do 
something  ?  There  was  too  much  at  stake 
to  be  idle,  but  what  to  do  I  didn't  know ; 
I  would  sometimes  leave  my  work  and 
wander  in  the  grove,  sometimes  kneeling 
to  pray,  other  times  weeping  and  groan- 
ing in  great  distress.  After  many  days 
spent  in  this  condition,  my  mind  turned 
on  the  words  of  the  blessed  Savior :  "In 
my  Father's  house  are  many  mansions ; 
if  it  were  not  so  I  would  have  told  you." 
— John,  xiv :  2.  Oh,  the  love  these 
words  conveyed  ;  but  may  I  claim  them  ? 
I  labored  for  some  evidence  that  I  was  a 
character  embraced  in  these  blessed  words. 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTINDALE.  13 

At  length  other  Scripture  that  I  had 
learned  came  into  my  mind,  and  gradually 
and  thankfully  I  settled  down  into  the 
hope  that  I  was  converted  and  saved. 
JN'ow  I  began  to  look  about  to  find  the 
right  church.  My  j^arents  were  Baptists 
of  the  old  school ;  my  wife  and  her  par- 
ents were  Christians.  Many  of  my  near 
relatives,  whom  I  greatly  esteemed,  were 
Methodists.  They  all  seemed  to  have 
confidence  in  me  and  wanted  me  to  unite 
with  them.  I  decided  at  once  that  some 
of  them  must  be  Avrong  or  they  would  not 
diifer  so  much.  I  concluded  I  had  better 
apply  myself  to  reading  and  prayer  to 
find  the  right  way.  I  went  among  them 
all  and  joined  them  in  worship  and  was 
kindly  received.  I  had  been  taught  to 
believe  that  a  converted  sinner  must  be 
baptized.  How  could  I  obtain  baptism 
without  joining  the  church  ?  I  greatly 
desired  to  be  immersed  by  a  Baptist  min- 
ister.    I  often  talked  with  them  on  the 


14  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

subject.  They  would  say,  "  Come  to  the 
church."  I  answered,  "  I  don't  receive 
the  covenant  of  the  church  as  scriptural." 
Finally  we  were  visited  by  a  Seventh  Day 
Baptist  missionary  from  the  state  of  New 
Jersey.  I  attended  his  meeting  at  the  old 
Baptist  church  on  Martindale's  creek. 
When  he  finished  his  discourse  I  walked 
forward,  though  he  was  an  entire  stranger, 
I  told  him  in  the  presence  of  the  congre- 
gation I  wanted  him  to  baptize  me.  He 
seemed  surprised,  and  w^anted  to  know 
why  I  didn't  come  to  the  church.  I  told 
him  I  couldn't  endorse  the  covenant. 
After  some  consultation,  I  was  requested 
to  tell  my  experience.  I  did  so,  and  was 
approbated.  Old  Father  Platts  was  re- 
ceived, and  we  repaired  to  the  water, 
where  we  were  both  immersed.  This  was 
about  the  year  1818.  I  now  felt  happy 
in  the  belief  that  I  was  in  Christ's  king- 
dom, though  not  in  any  of  the  churches 
of  the  contending  parties.     Now  I  had  at- 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTINDALE.  15 

tained  a  happy  and  blessed  enjoyment  of 
the  love  of  God  shed  abroad  in  my  poor 
heart.  I  wanted  others  to  come  and  feast 
with  me,  so  I  began  to  exhort  at  the  dif- 
ferent meetings  I  attended.  I  had  but 
little  learning  and  but  a  small  store  of 
Scripture  knowledge ;  still  I  was  every- 
where invited  and  encouraged  to  go  on  in 
the  good  work  of  exhortation.  In  those 
days  I  attended  a  meeting  of  the  United 
Brethren,  conducted  by  a  preacher  whose 
name  was  William  Stubbs.  He  invited 
me  to  go  with  him  a  week  or  two  on  his 
circuit.  I  went,  and  we  had  a  good  time. 
Many  of  the  members  of  that  order  were 
pious,  good  people.  While  we  were  rid- 
ing* along  one  day  on  our  way  to  our  next 
appointment,  I  asked  Bro.  Stubbs  this 
question:  "Were  not  the  persons  that 
the  apostle  commanded  to  be  baptized 
about  the  same  as  we  call  mourners?" 
After  a  short  pause,  he  replied  :  "It  looks 
a  good  deal  like  it ;  but  it  would  not  do 


16  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

for  a  rule  with  us.  We  would  get  too 
many  bad  members  in  the  church."  Now 
I  don't  think  I  had  ever  heard  such  a 
thought  expressed  by  any  living  man  at 
that  time.  Some  years  after,  when  I  read 
an  article  from  the  pen  of  Bartain  W. 
Stone,  advocating  the  doctrine  of  baptism 
for  the  remission  of  sins  to  believing  peni- 
tents, it  looked  as  natural  as  the  face  of 
an  old  acquaintance. 

I  left  Bro.  Stubbs  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Connersville.  The  next  meeting  I  at- 
tended was  a  Baptist  association  in  a  grove 
near  Judge  Webb's.  Here  the  doctrine 
of  the  eternal  justification  of  the  elect 
was  argued  with  a  zeal  and  talent  worthy 
of  a  better  cause.  Soon  after  this  I 'at- 
tended a  large  protracted  meeting  of  the 
Christian  body  called  Newlights.  Here  I 
united  with  the  church.  When  the  way 
was  open  for  the  reception  of  members  I 
went  forward  and  asked  the  privilege  of 
speaking  a  few  words.  This  being  granted, 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTINDALE.  17 

I  remarked  that  I  felt  such  an  anxious  de- 
sire for  the  oneness  of  the  Lord's  peojDle 
that  I  wanted  so  far  as  possible  to  be 
united  with  all  of  them.  I  requested  the 
hand  of  brotherly  affection  from  every 
Christian  in  the  congregation.  The  hands 
of  many  did  I  clasp  that  day  that  are  gone 
home  to  die  no  more,  and  I  hope  to  meet 
them  in  a  land  where  divisions  and  par- 
ties and  sectarian  strivings  are  never 
known. 

2 


18  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 


CHAPTER  III. 

ORDAINED  TO  THE  MINISTRY — FIRST  SERMON — POVERTY — 
PERSECUTION  —  MOURNERS  UNCOMFORTED  —  PREACH- 
ING NEAR  NEW    LISBON — FLATTERY. 

Up  to  the  time  of  uniting  with  the 
Christian  body  of  believers  I  had  only 
been  exercising  my  gifts  in  exhortation. 
I  was  a  long  time  in  an  unsettled  state  of 
mind  about  trying  to  preach.  I  thought 
the  preacher  must  be  specially  called  and 
sent.  I  labored  and  prayed  for  a  true  de- 
cision of  the  matter.  I  felt  like  it  would 
be  a  dreadful  thing  to  venture  to  take  the 
holy  office  without  a  divine  call.  Finally, 
through  the  encouragement  and  strong- 
solicitations  of  the  brethren,  I  ventured, 
with  much  diffidence,  to  undertake  the 
work.  My  first  effort  in  the  ministry  was 
at  Jacksonburg  in  the  year  1820.  Several 
of  the  old  preachers  were  present.     I  se- 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTIXDALE.  19 

lected  my  text,  1  Cor.,  ix :  24  :  "  So  run 
that  ye  may  obtain."  After  I  got  through 
Father  Dooly  came  forward,  extending  to 
me  his  hand  said:  "  Occu^^y,  occupy,  my 
son."  This  gave  me  much  comfort  and 
encouragement.  I  now  felt  that  my  way 
was  clear  to  go  forward  in  the  work.  Some 
time  after  this  I  received  ordination  by 
the  imposition  of  hands  of  Levi  Purvi- 
ance,  John  Plummer  and  William  Hub- 
bert.  I  now  went  into  the  ministrv  with 
my  whole  heart  and  with  all  the  powers 
of  mind  and  body  that  I  j^ossessed.  The 
people  were  kind,  but  the  thought  of  giv- 
ing the  preacher  anything  for  his  time 
and  labor  was  scarcely  ever  thought  of. 
Many  of  the  preachers  had  to  work  when 
others  were  asleep  to  keep  their  families 
from  starving ;  but  what  was  worse,  we 
were  looked  upon  by  the  ministers  and 
leaders  of  the  sects  generally  as  poor  ig- 
norant enthusiasts.  Their  meeting-houses 
were  closed  against  us,  and  showers  of 


20  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

abuse  fell  continually  upon  our  poor  de- 
fenceless heads  from  almost  every  pulpit 
in  the  land.  I  suppose  many  of  them, 
like  Paul,  did  it  ignorantly  in  unbelief 
The  great  cause  of  the  opposition  was  our 
continual  testimony  against  "human 
creeds"  and  "party  names."  We  con- 
tended that  the  Word  of  God  should  be 
our  guide  and  the  name  of  Christ  should  be 
worn  by  his  people.  The  same  war  is  still 
waged,  but  the  persecution  is  greatly  mod- 
ified since  the  people  have  more  knowl- 
edge and  have  laid  aside  some  of  their 
prejudice. 

Without  knowing  any  better  I  preached 
with  all  my  might  for  nearly  ten  years 
that  faith,  repentance  and  prayer  were  the 
only  divinely  appointed  means  on  the  sin- 
ner's part  for  the  remission  of  sins  ;  and 
that  the  evidence  to  the  sinner  was  a 
change  in  his  mind  and  feelings  from  sor- 
row to  joy.  "The  oil  of  joy  for  mourning 
and  the  garments  of  praise  for  the  spirit 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTINDALE.  21 

of  heaviness."  So  we  preached.  When 
poor  sinners  would  say,  "What  shall  I 
do?"  the  answer  would  be  in  substance, 
"  Believe,  repent  and  pray."  "But  this  I 
have  done,"  some  said,  "and  still  I  have 
not  found  peace  and  joy  and  comfort." 
In  this  condition  I  have  known  some  to 
linger  for  months  and  even  years.  What 
was  the  matter  ?  Ah !  this  was  a  hard 
question  for  the  wisest  preacher  among 
us.  I  feel  thankful  to  my  heavenly 
Father  that  the  light  of  truth  has  shone 
more  brightly  and  opened  the  way  for 
the  sinner  to  come  to  Christ  and  know 
that  his  many  and  grievous  sins  are  all 
forgiven  for  his  name's  sake,  who  has  suf- 
fered and  died  to  redeem  and  save  a  lost 
world.  Strange,  indeed,  that  so  plain  a 
truth  should  be  lost  in  the  rubbish  of 
human  tradition.  Why  did  we  not  tell 
the  poor  sinner  to  arise  and  be  baptized, 
calling  on  the  name  of  the  Lord?  Why 
did  we  not  preach  as  Peter  did  on  the 


22  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

Day  of  Pentecost  at  the  inception  of 
Christ's  kingxlom  on  earth  ?  We  were  so 
blinded  by  our  wrong  teaching  that  this 
plain  truth  was  hid  from  our  eyes,  and 
still  it  is  hid  to  many  honest  souls. 

While  I  was  preaching  among  the  peo- 
ple called  Newlights  I  was  much  united 
in  labor  with  my  good  old  father-in- 
law,  Samuel  Boyd.  He  was  my  precep- 
tor and  spiritual  adviser  in  my  first  ex- 
perience in  the  ministry.  By  invitation 
we  made  an  appointment  at  the  house  of 
old  Sister  Buck,  near  New  Lisbon,  Henry 
county,  Indiana.  But  few  meeting-houses 
had  been  built  at  this  time  and  some  of 
the  few  were  locked  against  us,  so  our 
preaching  was  chiefly  in  private  dwel- 
lings or  school-houses.  Our  first  appoint- 
ment at  her  house  was  about  the  year 
1826.  I  preached  from  the  text,  "  The 
wages  of  sin  is  death,  but  the  gift  of  God 
is  eternal  life  through  Jesus  Christ,  our 
Lord."     I  gave    satisfaction    in    my  dis- 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTINDALE.  23 

course  and  a  few  sinners  seemed  to  be 
brought  under  conviction.  The  influence 
was  such  that  we  continued  our  visits 
once  a  month.  We  soon  began  to  make 
disciples.  Our  first  accession  was  a  man 
of  very  audacious  habits,  drinking,  fight- 
ing and  swearing,  but  he  was  humbled 
under  the  power  of  the  Gospel  and  we 
took  his  confession  or  profession,  for  we 
thought  the  sinner  must  be  pardoned  be- 
fore he  was  a  fit  subject  for  baptism. 
Many  a  long  and  tiresome  struggle  did 
we  have  at  the  mourners'  bench  to  obtain 
some  evidence  that  our  sins  were  forgiven. 
I  baptized  the  man — the  first  person  I  ever 
immersed.  I  was  doubtful  about  his 
holding  out  well,  but  from  all  accounts 
he  was  a  soundly  converted  man.  The 
good  work  went  on  gloriously  at  that 
point  for  years.  I  was  loaded  with  eulo- 
gies until  I  was  often  ashamed.  I  have 
often  found  those  poor,  weak-minded 
brethren  who  are  so  ready  to  praise  the 


24  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

preacher  to  his  face  are  almost  sure  to 
get  oflPended  after  awhile  and  use  every 
means  at  command  to  crush  the  same 
preacher.  It  was  so  in  the  'Ne^Y  Lisbon 
church.  I  afterw^ards  displeased  them  by 
preaching  as  the  Apostle  Peter  did  on 
the  Day  of  Pentecost. 


ELDEE  ELIJAH  MARTINDALE.  25 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE    JERUSALEM    DOCTRINE    CALLS    DOWN    PERSECUTION — 
VOTED  OUT  OF  THE  NEW  HOUSE — SOME  THINGS  LACKING 

— CONTROVERSIAL    PREACHING MINISTERS    EXHORTED 

TO  FAITHFULNESS. 

About  the  year  1830,  I  commenced 
preaching  faith,  repentance,  prayer  and 
baptism,  all  connected  as  so  many  links 
in  the  chain  of  the  divine  arrangement  of 
pardon  as  taught  by  Christ  and  the  apos- 
tles. I  was  soon  nicknamed  a  Campbell- 
ite.  Many  of  the  old  brethren  with  Avhom 
I  had  long  lived  in  love  and  fellowship, 
began  to  turn  the  cold  shoulder  and  bar 
me  out  just  like  the  sects  had  been  serv- 
ing us.  I  had  almost  embraced  the  doc- 
trine of  baptism  as  a  link  in  the  chain  of 
pardon  before  I  ever  heard  of  A.  Camp- 
bell; but  when  I  became  acquainted  with 
the  writings  of  Campbell,  Stone  and  oth- 


26  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

ers  I  was  helped  much  in  understanding 
the  Scripture  on  this  point  and  some  oth- 
ers. The  first  time  I  ever  ventured  to 
preach  this  old  Jerusalem  Grospel  was  in 
the  cabin  of  Mother  Buck,  near  New  Lis- 
bon, where  we  had  been  holding  forth  the 
word  of  life.  It  made  some  fluttering  in 
the  camp,  but  w^e  went  on  for  awhile  with- 
out much  trouble.  I  was  successful  from 
the  very  start,  and  the  cause  of  truth 
would  have  moved  on  grandly  had  it  not 
been  for  the  opposition  of  the  brethren. 
When  they  saw  the  new  way  would  sup- 
plant the  mourners'  bench  and  its  eflPects 
as  the  Lord's  way  of  converting  sinners, 
a  few  of  the  leading  spirits  went  to  work 
in  great  earnest  to  put  me  down  and  stop 
the  work.  By  this  time  the  old  Christian 
brethren  had  built  a  small  log  meeting- 
house at  this  place,  and  they  managed  to 
get  a  majority  vote  that  Bro.  M.'s  new 
doctrine  should  not  be  tolerated  in  their 
meeting-house.     There   was    a   minority 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MAETINDALE.  27 

vote  in  my  favor  and  some  Baptists  who 
were  converts  to  the  new  doctrine,  so  the 
work  went  on.  By  careful,  kind  manage- 
ment we  finally  overcame  the  opposition 
and  got  nearly  all  the  old  members  and 
some  of  the  Baptists  united  and  harmo- 
niously organized  on  the  principles  of  the 
reformation.  Elisha  and  John  Shortridge, 
two  ministers,  came  in  from  the  Baptist 
church  and  were  a  great  comfort  to  me 
and  helped  much  to  build  up  the  cause  in 
JN'ew  Lisbon.  The  church  flourished 
greatly  while  the  old  members  remained, 
but  some  moved  away  and  many  have 
been  called  home,  and  the  church  has,  to 
a  great  extent,  gone  down.  One  great 
fault  with  us  since  we  attained  to  more 
light  and  truth  in  the  Scriptures  is,  we 
have  failed  to  bring  out  the  latent  talent 
of  our  members  by  the  exercise  of  their 
gifts  in  exhortation  and  prayer.  We  have 
not  encouraged  the  brethren  to  speak  and 
pray  in  public  as  we  should  have  done.    I 


28  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

have  long  desired  to  see  more  exhortation 
and  prayer  in  our  social  meeting.  Almost 
every  member,  young  and  old,  male  and 
female,  could,  by  practice,  be  able  to  speak 
a  few  words  in  public  or  offer  a  short 
prayer.  This  would  greatly  enliven  and 
strengthen  the  spirituality  of  the  congre- 
gation. 

Our  reformation  has  been  careful  to 
avoid  enthusiasm  but  could  not  see  the 
danger  of  stoicism,  hence  our  ordinary 
meetings  have  been  too  cold  and  dry  to 
make  us  happy  or  convert  the  unbe- 
lievers. Bro.  Samuel  Rogers  once  said 
in  a  conversation  on  this  subject:  "We 
Newlights  were  so  anxious  to  have  all 
Christians  united  that  when  we  saw  the 
Baptists  making  a  move  for  union,  we,  in 
our  haste  to  meet  them,  ran  clear  through 
the  temperate  zone  and  joined  them  in 
the  frigid  zone  ;  but  he  hoped  we  would 
all  get  back  to  the  true  Grosj^el  zone  after 
awhile."     I  fear  w^e  have  never  come  to 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTIXDALE.  29 

that  warm,  life-giving  climate  yet.  Too 
much  winter  seemingly,  and  no  bright 
birds  singing  to  enliven  our  souls.  We 
have  guarded  against  undue  excitement 
which  we  looked  upon  as  a  great  fault 
among  our  religious  neigbors,  until  we 
have  become  in  great  danger  of  coldness 
and  formality.  In  too  many  cases  our 
growth  in  humility  and  godliness  has  not 
kept  pace  with  our  advancement  in  Script- 
ure knowledge.  This  is  much  to  be  la- 
mented. Still  we  think  our  brotherhood 
will  compare  favorably  with  that  of  any 
other  people.  Yet,  as  we  claim  to  be 
nearer  apostolic  teaching,  we  ought  to 
come  nearer  apostolic  practice.  There 
is  one  thing  that  might  be  mentioned  as 
an  apology  for  our  delinquency  in  these 
things,  that  is  the  continual  war  that  has 
been  waged  against  us  by  all  the  creed 
parties.  We  entered  the  field  amidst  the 
continual  booming  of  artillery  and  the  rat- 
tlino;  of  small  arms.     Yet  in  many  cases 


30  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

our  preachers  have  been  too  belligerent 
in  their  manner  of  presenting  the  truths 
of  the  Bible.  Much  of  the  controversial 
preaching  of  our  day  has  its  origin  in 
pride.  Young  preachers  are  very  apt  to 
be  caught  in  this  snare  of  the  devil.  The 
people  are  fond  of  such  preaching.  It 
flatters  their  j^ride  of  opinion  and  suits  a 
cold,  backsliding  state  of  religion. 

If  ever  the  success  of  a  return  to  prim- 
itive Christian  piety  shall  crown  our  ef- 
forts as  reformers,  it  must  begin  among 
the  preachers.  Come,  dear  fellow-sol- 
diers, come  up  to  the  w^ork.  The  old 
pioneers  are  soon  to  pass  away.  Where 
are  the  mighty  men  of  God  who  are  to 
fill  up  the  lines  as  leaders  of  Zion's  hosts? 
Oh,  that  they  may  have  a  burning  zeal 
for  their  Master's  cause,  in  meekness 
instructing  those  who  023pose  themselves 
if  God  peradventure  will  give  them  re- 
pentance to  the  acknowledging  of  the 
truth. 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTIXDALE.  31 


CHAPTER  V. 

PREACHING  THE  GOSPEL — TRAVELING  THROUGH  MUD  AND 
BRUSH — DESIRE  FOR  UNION — LOVE  FOR  THE  ERRING — 
THE  INDWELLING  OF  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT — ZEAL  OF  THE 
OLD    PREACHERS. 

When  I  first  came  to  Henry  county  to 
make  a  home  I  was  in  feeble  health.  I 
felt  anxious  to  give  my  whole  time  and 
strength  to  the  work  of  the  ministry,  but 
I  was  almost  in  the  woods,  my  family 
large,  some  in  debt  on  my  land,  and  no 
means  to  hire  laborers.  I  thought  I 
could  give  two  or  three  days  in  each 
week  to  the  work  of  preaching  and  with 
the  balance  of  my  time  and  the  help  of 
my  family  we  could,  by  strict  economy, 
get  along.  So  I  commenced  under  this 
arrangement  and  with  the  blessings  of 
our  heavenly  Father,  I  was  enabled  to 
continue   for   a   number   of   years.     The 


32  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

truth  prevailed  and  I  was  happy.  For 
several  years,  there  was  not  another  resi- 
dent in  Henry  county  who  went  abroad 
as  an  evangelist  and  who  Avas  engaged  in 
promulgating  the  truths  that  we  were 
trying  to  establish.  I  traveled  over  the 
counties  of  Henry,  Wayne,  Fayette,  Rush, 
Delaware,  Madison,  and  some  in  Han- 
cock, sowing  the  seed  in  all  these  counties 
and  some  in  Ohio.  We  sowed  and  others 
did  reap  ;  we  labored  and  others  were  par- 
takers of  the  fruit  of  our  labors.  Well, 
be  it  so.  I  am  now  happy  in  the  reflec- 
tion, old  and  worn  out  that  I  am.  I  re- 
joice in  the  prospect  that  the  time  is  near 
when  "  he  that  soweth  and  he  that  reap- 
eth  will  rejoice  together;"  when  "he  that 
went  forth  weeping,  sowing  precious  seeds 
will  come  again  rejoicing,  bearing  pre- 
cious sheaves  with  him."  Most  of  the 
churches  that  I  had  helped  to  build  up 
in  the  old  Christian  body  were  brought 
into  the  reformation,  but  some  held  back 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTIXDALE.  33 

contrary  to  their  acknowledged  principles. 
We  started  on  the  divinely  anthorized 
ground  of  no  creed  but  the  Bible  and  no 
name  but  those  found  in  the  Xew  Testa- 
ment scriptures.  We  urged  the  necessity 
of  the  union  of  all  Christians  as  the  great 
means  for  the  salvation  ot  a  lost  world. 
Now  we  are  contending  for  this  same 
great  Gospel  platform :  but  when  we 
found  that  we  had  not  attained  to  a  per- 
fect understanding  in  every  particular 
and  that  we  must  follow  the  light  of 
truth  wherever  it  might  lead,  strange,  in- 
deed, that  some  would  fly  back  and  op- 
pose. But  so  it  is  with  poor  fallible  man. 
"The  leaders  of  my  people  do  cause  them 
to  err."  These  blind  leaders,  too  proud 
to  acknowledo'e  themselves  in  the  wrons:, 
will  have  a  fearful  reckoning  at  the  judg- 
ment seat  of  Christ.  The  war  that  now 
exists  between  us  and  the  old  Christian 
body  is  to  my  mind  the  most  unjustifia- 
ble of  all  the  religious  controversies  of 
3 


34  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

the  day.  It  puts  a  weapon  in  the  hands 
of  all  the  creed  parties  that  they  can  use 
effectively  against  us.  It  has  ever  been 
a  source  of  deep  regret  to  me  that  we 
failed  to  harmonize  on  Bible  grounds. 
Many  of  our  preachers  were  to  blame. 
They  failed  to  exhibit  the  meekness  and 
gentleness,  the  long  forbearance  that  we 
should  feel  toward  the  erring.  They  cut 
off  the  ears  of  their  hearers  before  the 
truth  could  reach  their  hearts.  When 
the  wall  of  prejudice  has  become  so  great 
it  can  only  be  removed  by  love.  The 
war  would  never  have  been  waged  so  in- 
tensely if  our  people  had  dwelt  less  on 
first  principles  and  more  on  vital  godli- 
ness and  the  indwelling  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  Then  it  seems  to  me  we  could 
have  helped  them  to  get  out  of  their  ig- 
norance and  blindness. 

Not  long  ago  I  attended  a  conference 
meeting  of  the  old  brethren.  I  was  kindly 
and  respectfully  received,  but  I  thought  I 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTINDALE.  35 

could  see  the  workings  of  that  old  enemy 
called  prejudice  in  some  of  their  move- 
ments and  preaching.  One  good  speaker 
labored  hard  to  prove  that  faith  was  all 
that  was  required  of  the  sinner  in  order 
to  insure  his  conversion  and  salvation.  So 
then  repentance,  prayer  and  baptism  must 
go  by  the  board.  This  case  I  have  given 
shows  the  failure  of  my  old  Christian 
brethren  in  declaring  the  whole  counsel 
of  Grod.  Now,  I  will  speak  of  some  of 
our  failures.  Some  of  our  talented  preach- 
ers have  taught  the  people  this  way : 
^'  There  is  no  direct  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
nowadays,  either  to  saint  or  sinner."  This 
error  has  attained  among  some  of  our 
people,  and  it  has  given  some  grounds  to 
our  opposers  to  charge  us  as  a  people  with 
denying  the  operations  of  the  spirit  en- 
tirelv.  This  error,  for  it  is  surelv  an  er- 
ror,  has  done  much  injury.  Jesus  says, 
speaking  of  the  comforter:  "Whom  the 
world  can   not    receive,  but  he   shall  be 


36  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

in  YOU  that  is  in  his  peoi^le."  If  any 
would  inquire  how  the  Holy  Spirit  oper- 
ates in  reproYing  the  world,  I  would  an- 
swer when  the  preacher  is  largely  en- 
dowed with  the  Holy  Spirit  his  preach- 
ing is  eifectiYe,  and  he  makes  his  audi- 
ence feel  the  power  of  truth.  Now,  if  all 
our  preachers  were  of  that  class  of  which 
it  was  said  they  were  full  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  and  of  wisdom,  would  it  not  make 
a  wonderful  chano-e  in  the  adYancement 
of  the  church?  The  preacher  must  be 
able  to  impress  Ills'* audience  with  the  firm 
couYiction  that  he  belicYes  these  great 
truths,  and  that  with  all  his  heart.  Head 
faith  won't  do  ;  it  must  get  down  deep  into 
the  heart  of  the  cYangelist  before  he  is  fit 
to  preach  the  Gospel  to  a  dying  world. 
I  do  not  mean  that  the  truth  is  not  S23ir- 
itual,  but  I  mean  that  there  is  a  direct, 
immediate  and  powerful  agent  in  the  work 
of  the  ministry  called  the  gift  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.    This  indwelling  comforter  is  prom- 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTIXDALE.  37 

ised  to  all  Christians,  but  the  preacher 
needs  a  greater  portion  than  any  other  in- 
dividual in  the  church,  because  he  is  light- 
bearer  and  messenger  to  the  people.  Oh, 
I  remember  so  many  of  the  old  preachers 
whose  souls  were  filled  with  a  burnino- 
zeal  for  the  Master's  cause.  We  had  but 
few  men  who  could  read  Greek,  but  we 
read  the  Bible  with  prayer  often  when 
other  men  were  asleep.  We  were  willing 
to  sacrifice  much  of  this  world's  ease  and 
comfort  in  order  to  win  souls  to  Christ. 
Our  whole  souls,  yes,  afl  our  powers,  were 
summoned  to  the  great  and  glorious  work 
of  saving  sinners,  comforting  saints  and 
building  up  the  cause  of  the  blessed 
Master.  The  times  have  changed,  and 
the  preacher  has  more  learning  and  better 
salaries,  but  the  question  is,  will  they 
draw  deeply  from  the  wells  of  salvation, 
from  the  eternal  fountain  of  God's  love? 


38  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 


CHAPTER  VI. 

PREACHING  NEAR  MIDDLETOWN— WALKING  FIFTEEN  MILES 
TO  FILL  AN  APPOINTMENT  — SAMUEL  ROGERS  MOVES  TO 
THE  VICINITY  OF  MIDDLETOAVN — BAPTISM  OF  BENJAMIN 
AND    DANIEL   FRANKLIN — PERSECUTION   AND    POVERTY. 

About  the  year  1835,  I,  in  company 
with  my  good  brother,  Reuben  Wilson, 
went  to  the  neighborhood  of  Middletown, 
Henry  county,  to  try  to  sow  the  seed  of 
the  kingdom  in  that  newly-settled  region. 
We  held  our  meetings  at  the  house  of 
William  Stewart.  On  our  journey  we  were 
caught  in  a  great  rain.  The  road  was  bad, 
only  a  bridle  path  most  of  the  way.  Xo 
house  being  near,  we  were  com23elled  to 
plod  on  in  our  wet  clothes.  When  we  ar- 
rived at  Brother  Stewart's  we  were  gladly 
received,  and  every  attention  was  given 
to  make  us  comfortable.  When  we  were 
rested  and  refreshed  we  commenced  our 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTIXDALE.  39 

meeting  and  had  good  attention.  Many 
will  praise  God  in  a  better  world  for  the 
privilege  of  hearing  the  old  Jerusalem 
Gospel  for  the  first  time  in  their  lives  at 
that  meeting.  I  continued  to  visit  them 
as  often  as  I  could  for  years.  A  church 
was  planted  there,  or  rather  a  congrega- 
tion of  believers  united,  having  declared 
their  allegiance  to  Christ  and  a  desire  to 
follow  him.  Brother  Samuel  Rogers, 
from  Ohio,  moved  and  settled  among 
them.  He  was  a  man  of  experience  and 
much  talent  and  energy  in  the  work  of 
preaching  the  Gospel.  We  labored  to- 
gether for  some  years,  and  were  greatly 
united  in  heart  and  soul  as  missionaries  of 
the  cross.  We  visited  several  new  points 
and  sowed  the  good  seed  of  the  kingdom, 
where  churches  have  since  been  planted. 
I  visited  the  Middletown  or  Fall  Creek 
church  once  a  month  for  some  years.  I 
remember  one  time  during  the  busy  sea- 
son I  was  compelled  to  make  the  journey, 


40  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

nearly  fifteen  miles,  on  foot.  I  set  out 
early  in  the  morning,  stopping  to  rest  at 
a  cabin  near  where  the  village  of  Cadiz 
now  stands.  I  then  pursued  my  journey 
until  I  reached  Israel  Personet's,  not  far 
from  the  place  of  my  destination.  I  had 
several  times  stopped  with  him,  and  was 
always  made  to  feel  at  home.  I  supposed 
the  little  children,  who  were  the  only  oc- 
cupants of  the  house  when  I  arrived, 
knew  me.  As  I  felt  greatly  exhausted 
with  my  long  walk  and  fasting,  I  walked 
to  a  bed  and  lay  down  to  rest  until  the 
parents  would  return.  One  of  the  chil- 
dren ran  to  where  her  uncle  was  plowing 
in  the  field  and  told  him  a  drunk  man 
had  come  to  their  house  and  gone  to  bed. 
The  man  hastened  to  come  to  their  res- 
cue. I  had  fallen  into  a  sweet  slumber,  but 
was  waked  by  a  heavy  tread  on  the  floor, 
and,  looking  up,  saw  a  man  staring  in- 
tently at  me  to  make  out  who  the  intruder 
was.     He    soon    knew   me    and   laughed 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTIXDALE.  41 

heartily  at  the  joke.  Late  in  the  evening 
Bro.  Personet  and  wife  came  home  and 
brought  the  old  parents  with  them.  These 
were  the  parents  of  Sister  Benjamin 
Franklin.  Sister  Personet  soon  prepared 
a  good  repast,  and  we  had  a  happy  even- 
ing, socially  and  religiously.  After  hold- 
ing good  meetings  Sunday  morning  and 
evening,  my  good  Brother  Rogers  con- 
veyed me  homeward.  These  were  happy 
days  ;  I  love  to  think  upon  them  yet. 
About  this  time,  or  a  little  later  on,  we 
held  a  night  meeting  at  the  house  of  Bro. 
Joseph  Robins.  I  was  put  forward  to 
j)reach.  I  read  as  a  foundation  from  the 
fifty-fifth  chapter  of  Isaiah,  tenth  and 
eleventh  verses.  I  dwelt  on  the  power  of 
the  word  of  God.  At  the  close  I  made  a 
draft  on  the  faith  of  the  unprofessors  pres- 
ent. Benjamin  and  Daniel  Franklin,  then 
young  men,  Daniel  not  married,  came  for- 
ward and  gave  me  their  hand.  We  took 
their  confession,  and  by  the  light  of  Ian- 


42  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

terns  and  torches  we  Avent  to  the  water, 
where  Bro.  Rogers  buried  them  with  their 
Savior  in  baptism  the  same  horn-  of  the 
night.  They  soon  commenced  preaching 
and  became  men  of  full  stature  in  the 
Lord's  vineyard.  They  have  turned  many 
to  righteousness.  We  can  look  back  to 
those  days  when  a  few  of  us  poor  perse- 
cuted preachers,  leaving  our  homes,  trav- 
eling over  bad  roads,  high  waters,  tearing 
through  brush  and  swamps,  from  cabin  to 
cabin,  without  pay,  our  families  at  home 
without  many  of  the  comforts  of  life,  and 
our  opposers,  like  the  enemies  of  the  work 
of  rebuilding  the  temple,  would  say, 
"  What  do  these  feeble  Campbellites  ?  If 
a  fox  would  run  over  their  work  it  would 
soon  totter  and  fall."  These  were  days 
of  trial,  but  the  love  of  Christ  constrained 
us.  We  endured  as  seeing  him  who  is 
invisible.  We  trusted  in  the  strong  arm 
of  Jehovah,   who  upholds   all  things  by 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTINDALE.  43 

the  word  of  his  power.  We  were  feeble 
instruments  in  the  hands  of  God,  and  he 
has  been  pleased  to  command  his  blessing 
upon  the  work.  We  are  permitted,  now 
in  old  age,  to  sit  and  hear  the  Gospel  pro- 
claimed by  those  highly  gifted  brethren 
that  we  enlisted  and  many  more  whom 
they  have  enlisted,  and  that  little  wave 
of  reformation  that  was  set  in  motion  in 
Henry  county  will  roll  on,  increasing  in 
its  heavenly  course  until  the  Lord  comes 
and  we  shall  have  the  privilege,  through 
grace,  of  bringing  our  sheaves  rejoicing, 
and  saying:  "  Behold  thy  servant,  Lord, 
and  the  children  which  thou  hast  given 
me."  This  is  the  hope  that  inspires  me, 
now  that  I  am  old  and  feeble  and' can  toil 
no  longer.  I  can  sit  and  muse  upon  the 
goodness  of  God  and  give  thanks  to  him 
that  his  mercy  has  been  so  great  to  the 
children  of  men. 


44  AUTOBIOGExlPHY  OF 


CHAPTER  VII. 

PREACHING  AT  BEXTONVILLE — D.  R.  VANBUSKIRK — JOHN 
LONGLEY— B.  B.  FIFIELD — MISSIONARY  TOUR — THE 
FRANKLINS  START  IN  THE  MINISTRY  —  ARTHUR  MIL- 
LER— GOING  AMONG  THE  CHURCHES  TO  SEE  HOW 
THEY    DO — EXHORTATION  TO  PREACHERS. 

In  the  summer  of  1840  I  was  engaged 
with  some  other  preachers  to  hold  a 
meeting  of  days  near  Bentonville  in  Fay- 
ette county.  Those  expected  to  labor  with 
me  failed  to  attend.  Old  Father  Banks, 
the  same  that  used  to  be  a  Baptist 
preacher  at  my  father's  house,  was  now 
in  the  reformation  and  attended  with  me. 
I  was  glad  to  meet  him.  In  the  days  of 
his  strength  he  was  a  fine  speaker.  His 
voice  was  soft  and  musical,  his  language 
partook  largely  of  eloquence  and  he  was 
quite  successful  as  a  Baptist  preacher,  and 
was  a  great  favorite  with  my  dear  old 
parents. 


ELDP:R  ELIJAH  MARTIXDALE.  45 

Our  meeting  at  Bentonville  went  on 
with  great  success  and  rejoicing.  About 
twenty  noble  souls  came  out  and  confessed 
their  Lord  and  Savior  and  were  immersed 
during  our  meeting,  Avhich  lasted  some 
days. 

The  Avork  went  on  grandly  at  that 
place.  During  my  labors  at  that  point, 
which  lasted  monthly  for  about  three 
years,  more  than  one  hundred  precious 
souls  enlisted  under  the  glorious  banner 
of  King  Immanuel.  I  have  attended 
some  of  their  meetings  more  latterly,  and 
they  seem  to  be  doing  well.  That  church 
has  raised  up  one  of  the  best  preachers 
in  the  state,  Daniel  R.  Yanbuskirk.  I 
used  to  stop  often  with  his  kind  old  fa- 
ther when  D.  R.  was  a  boy.  Plis  urban- 
ity even  at  that  time  seemed  to  mark  him 
out  for  some  high  station  in  coming  life. 

The  Bentonville  church  has  had  a  great 
deal  of  preaching  from  our  most  gifted 
brethren  and  they  had  great  advantages 


46  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

in  the  way  of  song,  as  one  brother,  An- 
drew Cole,  was  not  only  a  good  singer, 
but  he  raised  a  large  family  who  were 
almost  natural  musicians;  and  I  think 
nearly  all  of  them  became  church  mem- 
bers. Yet  the  church  may  not  be  as 
jDrosperous  as  it  once  was.  So  many  of 
the  old  members  have  been  called  home 
and  some  still  linger  on  the  banks  of  Jor- 
dan waiting  for  the  summons.  Oh  !  ye 
time-Avorn  veterans  of  the  cross,  you  and 
I  will  soon  have  mingled  our  last  tear 
with  the  sorrows  of  earth  and  if  we  are 
faithful  a  crown  of  life  Avill  be  ours. 

About  this  time  I  was  a  co-laborer  with 
Brother  John  Longiey,  of  Fayette  county. 
He  was  an  able  minister  of  the  Gospel 
and  helped  much  to  build  up  the  cause  in 
many  places  in  Indiana. 

B.  B.  Fifield,  a  preacher  from  Rush 
county,  was  also  my  co- worker.  He  and 
I  were  appointed  to  go  as  missionaries 
together    and    visit    waste    places.     My 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTIXDALE.  47 

health  was  very  poor,  so  we  agreed  that 
he  would  preach  half  the  time  and  ad- 
minister the  ordinance  of  baptism  when 
required.  Our  first  meeting  was  at  the 
house  of  old  Father  Johnson,  on  Buck 
Creek.  Here  we  held  a  night  meeting. 
It  was  my  turn  to  preach.  I  labored 
hard  and  was  much  exhausted.  I  made 
a  call  and  four  persons  came  forward. 
As  w^e  were  about  starting  to  the  water 
Mother  Johnson  came  and  told  me  the 
four  applicants  were  all  her  children  and 
they  wanted  me  to  baptize  them.  I 
told  her  our  arrangement  and  that 
Brother  Fifield  was  a  good  baptist.  She 
went  and  talked  with  her  children,  then 
came  again  and  said'  if  I  were  not  able  to 
go  into  the  water  it  must  be  put  off.  I 
was  in  a  high  state  of  perspiration,  the 
night  was  cold  and  the  ice  partly  over  the 
stream.  After  a  little  hesitation  I  ven- 
tured to  go  on,  trusting  in  the  Lord  to 
preserve    my   health.     The   stream    was 


48  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

low  and  the  water  proved  too  shallow 
where  I  first  went  in,  so  I  came  out  and 
went  with  my  boots  full  of  water  some 
distance  down  the  stream  where  we  found 
a  suitable  depth  when  the  ice  was  re- 
moved. When  the  baptism  had  been 
2:)erformed  and  I  came  out  of  the  water  I 
found  my  legs  and  feet  so  numb  with  the 
cold,  they  had  but  little  or  no  feeling.  I 
think  I  spoke  to  some  brother  to  help  me 
until  I  could  walk.  The  circulation  soon 
returned.  I  went  to  the  house,  put  on 
dry  clothes,  went  to  bed,  rested  quite  well 
and  Avhen  I  arose  in  the  morning  felt  re- 
freshed and  better  of  my  cold  than  I  had 
been  for  days  before,  thanks  to  my  Heav- 
enly Father. 

We  kept  up  our  missionary  work  un- 
til Brother  Fifield  was  called  to  take  a 
school  and  I  devoted  my  time  to  farm 
work  for  awhile,  preaching  at  intervals. 

By  this  time  the  two  Franklins  had  ex- 
ercised their  oifts  in  the  ministry  until 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MAETIXDALE.  49 

they  had  become  a  power  in  the  pulpit. 
Perhaps  no  man  in  modern  times  has 
ever  made  greater  efficiency  in  learning 
and  oratory  than  did  Benjamin  Franklin. 
He  was  possessed  of  a  fine,  native  talent 
for  speaking,  which  he  inherited  from  his 
mother.  Few  women  in  that  day  were 
gifted  with  such  power  in  exhortation  as 
was  Sister  Franklin, 

Brother  Benjamin  Franklin  and  I  made 
several  tours  into  Madison  and  Delaware 
counties.  We  made  a  good  impression  in 
many  places.  Some  of  those  places  have 
now  large  churches 'where  we  started  the 
work. 

In  the  winter  of  '42  Brother  Arthur 
Miller,  one  of  our  best  preachers,  and  I 
held  meetings  at  Plum  Creek  and  Fair- 
view,  where  good  churches  have  since 
been  organized  and  good  houses  of  wor- 
ship have  been  built.  I  love  to  go  among 
the  brethren  at  those  places  where  I  helped 
to  sow  the  good  seed   many   years    ago. 


50  .  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

Once  ill  a  while  I  find  one  of  my  children 
in  the  common  faith  and  they  feel  near  to 
me  yet,  especially  those  who  have  been 
faithful.  I  feel  it  a  great  privilege  to  im- 
itate the  example  of  Samuel,  the  old 
prophet  of  God  and  Judge  of  Israel,  to 
go  round  and  visit  these  congregations 
where  I  labored  in  the  days  of  my 
strength  and  see  how  they  do,  and  give 
them  what  encouragement  I  can.  I  feel 
to  rejoice  that  men  of  greater  ability  have 
come  onto  the  stage  and  yet  I  sometimes 
fear  the  people  are  more  filled  with  love 
for  the  preacher  than  with  love  for  Christ. 
Oh !  that  they  would  strive  more  to  imi- 
tate the  apostle  who  could  say,  "  my 
speech  and  my  preaching  was  not  with 
enticing  words  of  man's  wisdom  but  in 
demonstration  of  the  spirit  and  power, 
that  your  faith  should  not  stand  in  the 
wisdom  of  men  but  in  the  power  of  God. 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTIXDALE.  51 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

A  FLOURISHING  CHURCH  AT  HILLSBORO — THE  BRETHREN' 
BELIEVE  IN  RIGHTEOUSNESS  AND  JUDGMENT  TO  COME, 
BUT  OPPOSE  TEMPERANCE — A  GREAT  CONFLICT — TRUTH 
AT  LAST  VICTORIOUS. 

Some  time  after  I  was  settled  in  Henry 
county  I  made  an  appointment  to  preach 
in  Hillsboro,  a  village  three  miles  north 
of  jSTew  Castle.  There  was  no  house  of 
worship,  so  we  met  in  the  grove.  I  read 
from  the  book  of  Daniel :  "In  the  days  of 
these  kings  shall  the  God  of  heaven  set 
up  a  kingdom,"  etc.  The  discourse  was 
listened  to  with  marked  attention.  When 
the  meeting  was  about  to  close  an  elderly 
man  of  Quaker  proclivities  came  forward 
and  requested  another  appointment.  This 
was  quite  unexpected.  I  knew  I  was  in 
rather  a  hard  part  of  community.  Some 
years  before  I  had  been  there  in  company 


52  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

with  my  old  co-laborer,  John  Plummer. 
AVe  held  a  night  meeting,  and  got  our 
horses  shaved  most  shamefully.  So  I  was 
not  greatly  encouraged  to  make  an  effort 
in  that  place ;  but  when  such  a  man  as 
Benjamin  Harvey  walked  forward,  and 
with  tears  in  his  eyes  requested  another 
appointment,  I  felt  that  I  must  comply. 
I  Avent  again  and  again  and  saw  the  good 
seed  was  beginning  to  grow.  This  same 
old  friend  Harvey  was  among  the  first 
who  came  nobly  up  and  confessed  the 
Savior.  ^N'ow  the  work  seemed  deep  and 
general.  At  almost  every  meeting  we  had 
candidates  for  baptism.  Old  Bro.  Will- 
iam Canady's  house  and  the  school-house 
were  our  places  of  worship  in  cold  weather 
and  the  grove  in  warm  weather.  After 
while  other  preachers  came  to  our  assist- 
ance. It  seemed  for  a  time  like  every- 
body would  be  converted.  The  brethren 
went  to  work  harmoniously  and  built  a 
nice    little    frame   meeting-house.      The 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTIXDALE.  53 

membership  now  numbered  about  two 
hundred,  all  in  peace  and  love.  But,  as 
it  has  been  with  every  faithful  watchman 
who  stood  upon  the  walls  of  zion,  there 
were  troubles  brewing  for  me.  It  came 
in  this  way :  There  were  a  number  of  the 
brethren  who  were  leading  members  that 
I  never  could  persuade  to  quit  the  use  of 
ardent  spirits  as  a  beverag*e,  both  for 
themselves  and  families.  After  aAvhile 
the  devil  or  some  of  his  servants  put  it 
into  the  head  of  one  of  the  members  to 
start  a  distillery.  By  this  time  the  breth- 
ren had  purchased  a  small  farm  near  the 
meeting-house  for  the  use  of  a  preacher. 
They  wanted  a  resident  pastor,  but  in  this 
they  failed,  so  they  concluded  to  rent  the 
parsonage  farm  and  apply  the  proceeds  to 
pay  for  preaching,  for  now  the  idea  was 
beginning  to  be  common  that  the  laborer 
was  absolutely  worthy  of  his  hire.  They 
rented  the  farm,  takino-  o-rain  rent  and 
turning  the  grain  over  to  the  brother  who 


54  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

ran  the  distillery  to  be  made  into  whisky 
and   enable    the    brethren    to    pay    the 
preacher.     While  matters  stood  as  I  have 
named  I  went   to  a  temperance  meeting 
and  when  the  pledge  was  passed  I  placed 
my    name    on   record   as   an    abstinence 
man.     I   told   the  people  I  believed  the 
Gospel  was  pledge  enough  if  it  was  lived 
up  to,  but  I  found   so   many   professors 
that  failed  to  keep  the  pledge  of  temper- 
ance I  thought   it   my    duty   to   let   the 
world  know  that  I  was  an  abstainer  from 
religious  principles.     Moreover,  I  wanted 
to  give  every  assistance  in  my  power  to 
stop  the  awful  ravages  of  the  demon  of 
intemperance.      My    brethren    at    home 
found  no  fault  Avith  me  for  enrolling  my- 
self in   the  temperance  movement.     Not 
so  at  Hillsboro.     The  news  went  from  lip 
to  lip  "  Bro.  Martindale  has  joined  a  tem- 
perance society.     What  must  be  done?" 
It  was  decided  to  send  some  five  or  six  of 
the  brethren  to  labor  with  me  and  try  to 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTI>'DALE.  55 

reclaim  the  erring  brother.  They  came 
and  such  another  day's  controversy  I 
never  want  again.  They  took  dinner 
with  me  and  we  parted.  Sometime  after- 
ward I  sent  an  appointment  to  preach  on 
the  subject  at  their  meeting-house  on 
Sunday  afternoon.  I  went  and  preached 
Saturday  evening  and  Sunday  morning. 
At  the  close  of  our  morning  services  a 
brother  arose  and  stated  that  the  after- 
noon discourse  could  not  be  preached  in 
that  house  as  agreed  by  the  church.  I 
felt  a  strange  sensation  come  over  me 
w^hile  I  yet  stood  in  the  pulpit,  a  feeling 
I  never  had  ex]3erienced  in  a  stand  for 
divine  worship  and  hope  I  never  will 
again.  I  didn't  say  much  in  retort,  but 
announced  that  I  would  make  the  speech 
in  the  adjoining  grove.  So  we  dispersed. 
While  we  were  at  dinner,  several  of  the 
brethren  insisted  that  I  had  better  not  go 
on  to  make  the  speech,  but  let  a  Brother 
Hendrix  who  was  present  talk  a  wdiile  to 


56  AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 

the  people  in  the  house.  I  yielded  to 
their  entreaty  but  never  felt  sure  that  I 
did  right.  The  brethren  told  me  some 
time  after  this,  that  I  could  have  the 
house  on  week-day  to  preach  temperance, 
as  it  was  considered  too  unholy  a  subject 
to  occupy  the  Lord's  house  on  the  Lord's 
day.  After  my  temperance  meeting  at 
Little  Blue  River  (for  that  was  the  name 
they  gave  the  church)^  I  didn't  often  at- 
tend at  that  place.  Although  time  and 
patience  have  healed  the  wound,  it  left  an 
ugly  scar.  Take  it  all  in  all  it  was  one 
of  the  hardest  trials  I  was  ever  called  to 
bear.  One  brother,  and  one  only,  came 
and  confessed  his  fault  like  a  Christian. 
He  is  gone  home,  and  I  hope  all  of  them 
will  repent  of  their  sins  and  get  home  to 
the  good  world.  Since  I  quit  preaching 
lor  them  they  have  had  some  excellent 
preaching  from  others,  but  never  has  the 
work  gone  on  with  the  same  glorious  suc- 
cess  that   it   did  before  our  temperance 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTINDALE.  57 

troubles.  I  have  by  special  invitation 
preached  for  them  a  few  times  in  the  last 
several  years,  and  I  suppose  I  would  be 
a  very  welcome  visitor  among  them  now, 
but  I  am  old  and  feeble  and  can  not  labor 
as  I  once  did.  Many  of  them  are  my 
children  in  the  common  faith  and  feel 
near  to  my  heart,  and  I  would  greatly  re- 
joice to  see  them  walking  in  the  truth. 

In  conclusion  I  would  say,  that  tem- 
perance principles  have  been  greatly  on 
the  increase  among  these  brethren  ever 
since  our  great  burst-up  on  the  subject. 
May  the  Lord  open  every  blind  eye  on 
this  all  important  subject  I  pray.  In 
those  days,  preaching  against  the  sin  of 
intemperance  or  slavery  was  condemned 
on  the  ground  that  it  was  mixing  politics 
with  religion.  There  are  many  in  the 
church  to-day  who  will  not  be  pleased 
unless  these  great  sins  are  entirely 
ignored  in  the  work  of  the  ministry. 
Kow  while  I  read  in  God's  word  so  many 


58 


AUTOBIOGRAPHY  OF 


plain  and  positive  commands  against 
these  great  sins,  I  must  be  permitted  to 
speak  out  and  bear  a  faithful  testimony 
against  them. 

I  have  often  had  to  bear  evil  treatment 
from  some  poor  misguided  brethren,  Avhose 
worldly  interests  and  animal  propensities 
have  led  them  astray  in  these  plain  mat- 
ters. I  now  feel  thankful  to  God  that  he 
has  preserved  me  through  all  these  trials 
and  still  blesses  me  with  the  joys  of  his 
salvation. 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTIXDALE.  59 


BRIEF  ARTICLES  AND  SERMONS. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

ON    FAMILY    TRAINING. 

There  are  three  divinely  appointed  organ- 
izations in  human  society.  The  family,  the 
the  church  and  the  state. 

The  family  is  the  foundation  of  all  human 
society.  If  this  institution  is  corrupted  both 
the  others  must  partake  more  or  less  of  the 
defect.  The  union  of  one  man  and  woman 
in  the  matrimonial  state  seems  to  be  clearly 
the  Divine  plan  in  the  beginning.  Polyg- 
amy and  slavery,  though  admitted  with  cer- 
tain restrictions  in  the  former  dispensation, 
were  infractions  of  the  Divine  law,  and,  un- 
der the  Gospel,  were  not  to  be  tolerated. 
They  both  have  their  origin  in  sin,  and 
never  fail  to  bring  down  the  just  judgments 
of  God  on  those  who  practice  them.  A  happy 
union  of  man  and  wife  is  essential  to  the 
great  work  of  training  children.  The  force 
of  parental  example  always  has  a  threefold 


60       BRIEF  ARTICLES  AND  SERMONS  OF 

influence  on  their  tender  minds,  and  will 
leave  an  impress  where  precept  will  he  for- 
gotten. Immodesty,  hypocrisy  and  selfish- 
ness are  traits  of  character  that  children 
often  imhihe  from  parents.  Let  them  hear 
them  talk  unkindly  of  their  neighbors,  say 
hard  things  about  them ;  then  let  those  same 
persons  come  in,  and  a  wonderful  show  of 
friendship  is  displayed.  In  this  way  the 
seeds  of  hypocrisy  are  sown  in  the  child's 
mind. 

Selfishness  and  even  dishonesty  in  trading 
are  often  instilled  in  the  child's  mind  by  the 
parents.  I  have  said  a  few  things  in  regard 
to  moral  training  ;  now  I  want  to  speak  of 
religious  training.  Wheii  Moses  had  re- 
ceived the  law  from  Sinai's  fiery  top,  it  con- 
tained a  special  injunction  for  parents  to 
teach  to  their  children  :  ''When  thou  sittest 
in  thy  house  and  when  thou  walkest  by  the 
way  and  when  thou  risest  up  keep  these 
things  continually  on  the  child's  mind."  In 
the  Gospel  we  have  a  like  injunction  to  the 
parents.  "And  you  fathers  provoke  not 
your  children  to  anger,  but  bring  them  up  in 
the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord." 
Family  religion  is  the  oldest  religion  in  the 
world.     The  form  is  changed  under  the  Gos- 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTIXDALE.       .  '  <Ql 

pel  but  the  Lord  still  holds  every  parent  ac- 
countable for  the  manner  in  which  the}^ 
bring  up  their  children.  They  should  begin 
the  work  of  impressing  their  minds  with  Gos- 
pel truths  very  earW.  Let  the  good  seed  be 
sown  and  take  root  before  it  comes  in  contact 
with  the  wicked  world.  I  want  to  say  to 
you,  Christian  mothers,  that  the  child  from 
infancy  is  in  your  hands  like  clay  in  the 
hands  of  the  potter.  'Must  as  the  twig  is 
bent  the  tree's  inclined."  You  have  greater 
power  in  moulding  the  characters  of  your 
precious  offspring,  than  all  the  preachers  in 
the  land.  Some  of  you  will  say,  "What  can 
the  mother  do  if  the  father  is  a  sceptic,  a 
scoffer  at  religion?"  Well,  this  is  truly  the 
greatest  trial  a  Christian  mother  could  be 
called  to  bear.  I  would  say,  be  true  to  your 
high  and  holy  profession,  read  the  good 
book  and  pray  much,  be  patient  under  trials, 
try  to  show  by  your  example  that  you  believe 
in  the  teachings  of  the  blessed  Bible.  Don't 
be  weary  in  well  doing,  for  in  due  season  you 
shall  reap  if  you  faint  not.  Nearly  all  the 
great  men  that  have  adorned  either  the 
church  or  state  have  had  pious,  praying 
mothers. 

Paul    savs    to    Timothv,  ^'AVhen  I  call  to 


62       BRIEF  ARTICLES  AND  SERMONS  OF 

mind  the  unfeigned  faith  that  is  in  thee, 
which  dwelt  first  in  thy  grandmother  Lois, 
and  in  thy  mother  Eunice,  and  I  am  per- 
suaded in  thee  also."  You  may  think  dear, 
Christian  mother,  that  it  is  little  use  to  strive 
against  such  opposition,  hut  remember,  the 
Lord  is  on  your  side  and  will  be  with  you  in 
all  your  trials.  He  has  said,  ''I  will  never 
leave  thee  nor  forsake  thee." 

I  am  thankful  to  my  Heavenly  Father  that 
he  gave  me  a  praying  mother.  She  was  the 
best  teacher  I  ever  had.  I  can  remember  even 
to  this  advanced  age,  when  in  my  youth  sin- 
ners would  entice  me,  how  like  a  mighty 
sentinel  would  come  the  counsels  and  warn- 
ings of  my  dear  mother.  She  very  early 
fi.xed  the  thought  in  my  mind  that  God  would 
mark  my  sin  and  bring  me  into  judgment 
for  doing  wicked  things. 

The  natural  affection  between  mother  and 
child  gives  her  a  power  that  no  other  human 
can  possess  in  turning  the  young  mind  to 
God  and  religion.  Then,  dear  mother,  work 
for  God  and  for  the  salvation  of  your  children. 
Think  what  tremendous  results  are  con- 
nected with  your  work.  The  faithful  dis- 
charge of  dut}^  by  one  mother  may  be  the 
means  through  God's  grace  of  bringing  many 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTINDALE.  63 

to  the  good  world.  Then,  let  me  say  to  all  my 
dear  children  and  grandchildren,  and  others 
who  may  read  this:  Try  to  bring  up  your 
children  for  heaven,  so  in  the  great  day  you 
may  say,  ''Here  lam,  Lord,  and  the  children 
whom  thou  hast  given  me." 


64       BRIEF  ARTICLES  AND  SERMOXS  OF 


CHAPTER  X. 


THE    GOSPEL    INVITATION. 


Come  unto  me  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden, 
and  I  will  give  you  rest.  Take  my  yoke  upon  you  and 
learn  of  me,  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart,  and  ye 
shall  find  rest  to  your  souls. — Mat.  xi,  last  three  verses. 

This  text  contains  a  clear  and  full  declara- 
tion of  our  Savior's  great  mission  as  the  Son 
of  God  and  Savior  of  the  world.  Let  us  con- 
sider the  subject  in  the  following  order: 
First.  Who  are  invited?  Second.  How  can 
they  come?  Third.  The  great  advantage  in 
coming.  In  the  fourth  and  last  place,  The 
awful  consequences  in  not  coming. 

The  good,  old  preachers  in  my  youthful 
days,  used  to  tell  us  that  none  were  embraced 
in  this  text  but  penitent  sinners.  AVell,  that 
class  is  invited,  and  we  think  the  text  reaches 
farther,  and  takes  in  every  one  who  can  be 
induced  to  listen  to  the  invitation.  If  the 
hardest-hearted  sinner  can  be  made  to  feel 
the  burden  and  weight  of  his  sins,  he  is  sure- 
ly invited  to   come  to  Christ  and  find    rest 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTINDALE.  65 

and  peace,  and  take  upon  himself  the  blessed 
yoke.  This  brings  us  to  the  second  proposi- 
tion. How  can  the  sinner  come  to  the 
Savior?  God  has  endued  man  with  an 
animal  and  a  spiritual  nature.  The  spiritual 
part  can  not  be  satisfied  with  earthly  things, 
but  must  be  brought  into  fellowship  with 
the  Creator  in  order  to  be  happy.  In  turn- 
ing the  sinner  from  darkness  to  light,  from 
the  power  of  Satan  unto  God,  the  first  great 
element  or  power  is  faith.  The  object  of  his 
faith  must  be  Jesus,  the  Christ,  the  Savior  of 
the  world,  and  that  he  died  for  a  propitiation 
for  our  sins.  The  faith  of  the  sinner  must 
look  to  Calvary.  He  must  believe  with  all 
his  heart,  not  merely  an  assent  of  the  intel- 
lect but  with  the  heart,  man  believeth  unto 
righteousness.  Faith  purifies  the  heart,  and 
turns  the  mind  to  seek  after  heavenly  things. 
Faith  saves  us  from  the  love  of  sin.  Repen- 
tance and  prayer  saves  us  from  the  practice 
of  sin.  The  work  of  repentance  is  alwa3^s  in 
proportion  to  the  thoroughness  of  faith. 
Godly  sorrow  worketh  repentance  unto  salva- 
tion, not  to  be  repented  of.  Every  step  the 
sinner  takes  from  -the  time  he  first  starts  for 
heaven  until  he  arrives  safely  at  the  blessed 
mansion  is  by  faith.     It  is  the  great  moving 

5 


66       BRIEF  ARTICLES  AND  SERMONS  OF 

power  to  every  act  of  obedience.  When  the 
sinner  is  saved  from  the  love  of  sin  by  faith, 
and  from  the  practice  of  sin  by  repentance 
and  prayer,  then  he  is  prepared  for  baptism 
which  changes  his  state,  and  pardon  is 
promised  which  saves  him  from  the  guilt  of 
sin.  The  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  now 
promised.  Because  ye  are  sons  (that  is  ye 
have  been  adopted  into  the  family),  God  hath 
sent  forth  the  Spirit  of  his  Son  into  your 
hearts,  crying  Abba,  Father.  Oh,  the  blessed 
assurance  with  w^hich  the  child  of  God  can 
approach  the  mercy-seat,  knowing  that  he 
has  obeyed  the  Lord  in  all  his  blessed  com- 
mands. Why  do  not  men  come  and  accept 
the  Savior?  One  says,  the  Book  nowhere 
says  faith,  repentance  and  baptism  for  the 
remission  of  sins.  Well,  let  us  take  Matthew, 
Mark  and  Luke  on  the  great  commission 
given  to  the  Apostles.  Mark  says,  '  'Go  ye  in- 
to all  the  world  and  preach  the  Gospel  to 
every  creature.  He  that  believeth  and  is 
baptized  shall  be  saved,  but  he  that  believeth 
not  shall  be  damned."  Matthew  says,  ''Go 
ye  therefore  and  teach  all  nations,  baptizing 
them  in  the  name  of  the  Father  and  of  the 
Son  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  Luke  says, 
"Thus  it  behooved  Christ  to    suffer  and    to 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTIXDALE.  67 

rise  from  the  dead  the  third  day,  and  that 
repentance  and  remission  of  sins  should  be 
preached  in  his  name  among  all  nations,  be- 
ginning at  Jerusalem." 

Now  I  suppose,  these  three  evangelists  de- 
signed to  make  a  plain  record  of  the  great 
commission  of  their  Master.  Faith  must 
come  first  in  the  order.  The  Book  plainly 
teaches  that  Faith  must  antecede  every  at- 
tempt to  draw  near  to  God.  "Without  Faith 
it  is  impossible  to  please  God."  ''He  that 
Cometh  to  God  must  believe  that  he  is  and 
that  he  is  a  rewarder  of  them  that  diligently 
seek  him."  But  one  says,  the  Lord  has 
pardoned  many  a  poor  sinner  without  baptism. 
What  is  that  to  thee?  Does  the  commission 
given  hold  out  a  promise  without  baptism? 
Are  you  not  safer  in  obeying  the  great  com- 
mission? Are  you  willing  to  risk  your  salva- 
tion in  disobedience  to  such  plain  commands? 
''Great  peace  have  they  that  keep  the  law." 
The  prophet  says,  "Oh  that  thouhadst  heark- 
ened unto  my  commandments,  then  would 
thy  peace  have  been  as  a  river,  and  thy 
righteousness  as  a  wave  of  the  sea." 

We  have  now  come  to  the  fourth  and  last 
proposition,  the  awful  consequences  of  re- 
jecting  the  offer  of    salvation.     The    sinner 


68       BRIEF  ARTICLES  AND  SERMONS  OF 

has  been  shown  that  every  one  of  Adam's 
lost  race  is  included  in  the  Gospel  invitation. 
He  is  a  propitiation  for  the  sins  of  the  whole 
world.  He  gave  himself  a  ransom  to  be 
testified  in  due  time.  Poor  sinner,  you  are 
left  without  excuse.  You  will  be  speechless 
before  the  judgment  seat  of  Christ.  Your 
boat  is  gliding  down  toward  an  awful  abyss. 
It  will  soon  meet  the  rapids  which  will  hasten 
you  on  to  destruction.  Are  you  sleeping 
amid  such  dangers?  God  is  calling.  Jesus 
is  pleading,  the  church  is  praying  for  you. 
The  ministers  are  sounding  the  Gospel  call. 
All  good  beings  in  heayen  and  on  earth 
feel  a  deep  solicitude  for  you.  Oh,  come  to 
Christ  and  find  rest  to  your  souls.  "Take 
his  yoke  upon  you  and  learn  of  him,  for  his 
yoke  is  easy  and  his  burden  light." 


ELOER  ELIJAH  MARTINDALE.  69 


CHAPTER  XL 

A  synopsis  of  a  speech  delivered  at  a  meeting  called 
in  compliance  with  a  proclamation  of  the  President, 
in  order  for  humiliation,  prayer  and  fastino;.  That  our 
heavenly  Father  would  be  pleased  to  avert  the  threat- 
ened destruction  of  our  good  government  and  save  this 
great  nation  from  distress  and  ruin.  In  the  year  of 
our  Lord,  1862. 

As  a  starting  point  we  will  inquire,  first, 
is  it  right  for  Christians  to  bear  arms  in  any 
case?  We  think  Paul,  in  his  letter  to  the 
church  at  Rome  (thirteenth  chapter,  first  six 
verses )  has  placed  the  matter  beyond  all  cavil 
as  to  the  right  and  duty  of  Christians  to  help 
keep  order  and  suppress  lawless  attempts 
against  the  rights  of  the  innocent  and  against 
a  good  and  righteous  government.  We  con- 
clude, then,  that  God  has  ordained  human 
or  civil  governments,  and  when  civil  law 
protects  the  innocent  in  the  enjoyment  of 
their  rights  in  person,  property  or  character, 
that  the  violator  of  such  law  shall  be  pun- 
ished. That  the  ruler  or  chief  executive 
shall  employ  the  sword  when  no  other  means 
will  avail  to  put  down  offenders  and  main- 
tain order. 


70       BRIEF  ARTICLES  AND  SERMONS  OF 

In  the  second  place  we  would  inquire,  Is 
the  war  now  raging  in  our  country  one  of 
the  cases  in  which  the  Christian  should  en- 
gage? I  do  most  conscientiously  believe  that 
this  war,  on  the  part  of  the  loyal  defenders 
of  the  government,  is  a  righteous  one.  There 
has  never  been  a  war  since  the  days  of 
Joshua,  son  of  Nun,  that  could  be  better  and 
more  clearly  defended  on  principles  of  right 
and  justice. 

Our  fathers  fought  and  bled  to  procure  for 
us  the  best  government  on  earth,  with  one 
exception  ;  that  was,  they  allowed  slavery  to 
be  incorporated  in  their  constitution  and  by- 
laws. How  strange  that  after  being  so  sig- 
nally blessed  of  God  in  their  struggle  for  lib- 
erty, that  they  should  refuse  the  same  bless- 
ing to  the  poor  degraded  African.  If  the 
friends  of  liberty  could  have  excluded  slav- 
ery from  our  constitution,  what  rivers  of 
blood  and  tears  it  would  have  prevented. 
When  that  venerable  body  of  wise  and  patri- 
otic men  from  every  state  .in  the  Union  met 
at  Philadelphia  in  1787  to  form  our  present 
constitution,  with  the  great  Washington  in 
the  chair,  and  the  venerable  Franklin  and 
many  of  the  wisest  men  of  the  age  in  conven- 
tion, while  slavery  was*  young  and  weak  and 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTINDALE.  71 

while  Mr.  Mason  of  Virginia  and  Governor 
Morris  of  Pennsylvania  and  other  speakers 
were  making  the  ears  of  slave-holders  tingle, 
why  did  they  not  vote  the  monstrous  iniquity 
out  of  the  constitution  at  once  and  be  done 
with  its  dreadful  consequences?  Ah!  pride 
and  selfishness  were  too  strong.  Still  the 
friends  of  liberty  seemed  to  hope  that  the 
great  curse  would  die  out  and  give  place  to  a 
more  enlightened  and  happy  state  of  society. 
This  was  a  vain  hope,  as  facts  in  after  years 
will  testify.  After  this  shameful  oppression 
had  gone  on  gaining  strength  from  year  to 
year,  its  friends  finally  concluded  that  it 
should  spread  its  dark  wings  and  cover  the 
entire  land.  Having  ruled  the  nation  so 
long,  they  were  unable  to  bear  defeat  in  the 
election  of  a  president,  but  must  lay  foul 
hands  on  the  ship  of  state  and  resolve  to  sink 
it  or  perish  in  the  attempt.  Now  what  could 
we  do  but  rally  to  the  conflict  and  try  to  save 
the  nation  from  anarchy  and  ruin?  Then 
have  not  our  brethren  done  right  in  march- 
ing to  the  field  of  battle  trusting  in  the  Lord, 
whether  living  or  d^ing,  for  the  righteous- 
ness of  their  cause?  One  might  say,  If  your 
cause  is  so  plainly  good,  why  have  not  your 
armies    been    more  ^successful?     Why    have 


72       BRIEF  ARTICLES  AND  SERMONS  OF 

the  Union  armies  suffered  so  many  disasters 
on  the  field  of  battle?  Well,  it  may  be  with 
us  as  it  was  with  the  children  of  Israel  when 
they  were  called  to  go  to  war  with  their 
brother  Benjamin.  The  tribe  of  Benjamin 
were  the  aggressors.  They  were  wholly  at 
fault.  Yet  they  were  victorious  in  the  first  two 
battles,  more  than  40,000  slain  of  Israel.  Why 
was  it  so?  Certainly  because  they  trusted  in 
themselves  and  not  in  the  Lord.  We  may 
have  been  too  confident  in  regard  to  our 
numbers  and  strength  ;  besides,  too  many  of 
our  people  in  the  free  states  have  taken  sides 
with  the  oppressor  against  the  poor,  down- 
trodden slave.  We  have  lived  in  ease  and 
splendor  on  the  products  of  his  unrequited 
toil.  The  God  of  heaven  is  about  to  vindi- 
cate the  claims  of  his  eternal  justice  before 
this  nation. 

Dearly  beloved  brethren  and  friends,  let 
us  be  careful  to  stand  in  our  lot.  Let  us  ren- 
der to  Csesar  the  things  that  are  C8esar's,and 
to  God  the  things  that  are  God's.  As  Chris- 
tians let  us  watch  and  pray  and  strive  to 
keep  ourselves  in  the  love  of  God.  Let  us 
not  be  weary  in  well-doing,  for  in  due  sea- 
son we  shall  reap  if  we  faint  not.  Oh!  let 
us  mingle  with  our  prayers  daily  at  a  throne 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTINDALE.  73 

of  grace,  for  ourselves,  for  our  children,  for 
the  advancement  of  our  Savior's  kingdom, 
and  for  our  beloved  country,  that  our  heav- 
enly Father  in  his  great  mercy  may  be 
pleased  to  dispel  the  dreadful  war  cloud  that 
hangs  frightfully  over  our  heads  and  let  the 
glorious  sun  of  righteousness  and  peace 
shine  once  more  upon  our  land  and  cheer  our 
poor,  desponding  hearts.  When  that  bane 
of  moral  purity,  that  bone  of  contention  be- 
tween the  North  and  South,  that  outrage  on 
the  natural  rights  of  a  fellow-man,  shall  be 
done  away  with,  then  will  the  North  and 
South  be  at  peace  and  join  in  the  work  of 
colonizing  and  Christianizing  the  African 
race  in  this  and  other  lands.  For  such  a 
glorious  consummation  as  the  result  of  the 
great  affliction  we  are  now  suffering,  let  us 
all  devoutly  pray. 


BRIEF  ARTICLES  AND  SERMONS  OF 


CHAPTER  XII. 

SERMON    ON    PRAYER. 

Jesus  spake  a  parable  unto  them  to  this  end,  that 
men  ought  always  to  pray  and  not  to  faint. — Luke 
xviii :  1. 

Prayer  is  the  desire  of  the  soul,  either  ex- 
pressed or  mentally  employed.  There  is  but 
one  prerequisite  to  prayer,  and  that  is  un- 
feigned faith  in  the  Son  of  God  as  our  Savior. 
The  question  has  been  debated  slightly, 
whether  a  penitent  sinner  ought  to  be  en- 
couraged to  pray  before  he  was  baptized. 
Paul  the  Apostle  did  pray,  and  was  encour- 
aged to  go  on  to  obedience,  calling  on  the 
name  of  the  Lord.  Paul  in  his  letter  to  the 
Romans  (tenth  chapter),  after  quoting  the 
language  of  the  prophet  Joel,  says,  "  But  how 
shall  they  call  on  him  in  whom  they  have 
not  believed  ?  "  as  much  as  to  say,  prayer  is 
admissible  in  all  cases  where  there  is  faith. 

I  think  the  reason  why  any  one  ever 
doubted  on  this  plain  matter  was,  that  we 
had  become  sensible  of  the  error  in  our  for- 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTINDALE.  75 

mer  teaching,  which  was  that  the  sinner 
must  continue  praying  and  wait  for  the  evi- 
dence of  his  pardon  before  he  was  a  fit  sub- 
ject for  baptism.  How  common  it  is  in  try- 
ing to  avoid  one  extreme  to  get  into  another. 
Xow,  we  think  the  awakened  convicted  soul 
would  breath  out  prayer  to  God  if  his  tongue 
was  taken  out.  Let  the  sinner  get  the  eyes 
of  his  understanding  opened  so  that  he  can 
see  his  condition  by  the  light  of  divine  truth, 
and  he  will  pray  like  the  publican,  "God  be 
merciful  to  me  a  sinner."  While  he  is  pray- 
ing let  him  go  on  to  obedience  and  his  sal- 
vation is  sure,  though  men  and  devils  should 
oppose. 

Prayer  in  the  closet.  ' '  When  thou  prayest, 
enter  into  thy  closet,  and  when  thou  hast 
shut  the  door,  pray  to  thy  Father  who  seeth 
in  secret,  and  He  shall  reward  thee  openly." 
Here  is  a  privilege  for  the  Christian,  more 
blessed  than  the  common  walks  of  life,  and 
yet  we  fear  many  are  living  continually  in 
neglect  of  this  plain  duty. 

The  pride  of  the  heart  in  man  has  caused 
him  to  try  to  counterfeit  almost  every  com- 
mand of  God;  but  here  is  one  that  seems  to 
preclude  all  attempts  at  hypocrisy.  The 
Pharisees    prayed  to  be  seen    of    men,    per- 


76       BRIEF  ARTICLES  AND  SERMONS  OF 

haps  some  poor  hypocrite  may  practice  the 
same  nowadays;  but  to  enter  into  the  secret 
chamber  or  the  lonely  grave,  where  no  eye 
but  the  eye  of  God  is  upon  us,  there  to 
meet  our  Father  and  hold  sweet  communion 
with  him,  to  pour  out  our  sorrows  and  make 
known  our  desires,  with  the  blessed  assur- 
ance that  his  eyes  are  over  the  righteous,  and 
his  ears  are  open  to  their  prayers. 

In  the  closet  of  prayer  we  are  shut  out 
from  the  world.  We  are  in  company  that 
belongs  not  to  earth.  Oh,  what  a  blessed 
privilege  for  poor,  tempted,  downcast  souls. 
How  many  heavy  hearts  have  been  comforted, 
and  their  burdened  souls  relieved  in  the 
closet  of  prayer.  Oh  children,  lovers  of  God, 
and  lovers  of  the  brethren,  don't  neglect  your 
closet  of  prayer.  Let  every  eartiily  enjoy- 
ment give  place  to  this  high  calling  of  God 
in  Christ  Jesus.  Prayer  in  the  family.  I 
want  to  encourage  my  children  and  my 
brethren  in  this  important  duty.  A  family 
of  jDrofessing  Christians  without  an  altar  of 
prayer,  is  like  a  field  of  grain  without  a  fence. 
The  little  foxes  that  spoil  the  tender  vine  are 
likely  to  get  in,  and  do  Satan's  work  in  that 
family . 

How  can  parents  bring  up  their  children 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTINDALE.  77 

in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord 
without  an  altar  of  prayer?  How  can  the 
young  mind  be  early  impressed  with  the 
great  truths  of  the  Gospel,  if  the  parents 
treat  so  lightly  this  great  Bible  command, 
and  their  voices  are  never  heard  in  prayer  or 
thanksgiving  to  God.  I  believe  it  is  seldom, 
if  ever,  the  case,  that  great  men  in  the  church 
descend  from  professors  that  never  kept  an 
altar  of  prayer  in  their  house.  The  dying 
words  of  that  great  and  good  man,  B.  W. 
Stone,  addressing  his  wife  and  others,  were: 
''Tell  my  brethren,  their  religion  will  avail 
nothing  unless  it  brings  them  on  their  knees 
before  God  at  the  mercy-seat." 

Study  what  you  need  and  what  God  has 
taught  you  to  ask  for.  Come  in  faith  ;  come 
with  the  simplicity  of  a  little  child.  Don't 
think  you  must  have  much  fluency,  but  with 
all  humility  let  your  requests  be  made  known 
to  the  Lord.  Jesus  prayed  the  same  prayer 
over  and  over  again  when  the  great  scene  of 
his  suffering  for  a  lost  world  was  near  at 
hand.  Prayer  has  been  authorized  in  the 
public  worship  ever  since  God  has  had  a  peo- 
ple on  the  earth.  Under  every  dispensa- 
tion, patriarchal,  Jewish  and  Christian, 
the  divine   service  has  been  connected  with 


78       BRIEF  ARTICLES  AND  SERMONS  OF 

supplication,  intercession  and  thanksgiving. 
All  the  members  should  try  to  qualify  them- 
selves to  lead  in  the  prayers  of  the  church. 

We  will  now  sum  up  some  of  the  prom- 
ises and  works  of  our  heavenly  Father  in 
order  to  encourage  us  to  pray.  First,  the 
promises  :  "  Ask  and  you  shall  receive,  for 
every  one  that  asketh  receiveth,  and  he 
that  seeketh  findeth,  and  to  him  that 
knocketh  it  shall  be  opened."  "  How  much 
more  shall  your  heavenly  Father  give  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  them  that  ask  Him."  ''And 
will  not  God  avenge  his  own  elect  that  cry 
unto  him  day  and  night."  These  and  many 
other  promises  has  the  Lord  made  to  encour- 
age his  people  to  pray.  Now  let  us  look  at 
some  of  the  wonderful  works  that  God  has 
done  in  answer  to  prayer.  While  Moses 
prays  the  army  of  Israel  prevails  over  their 
enemies  on  the  field  of  battle.  While  Joshua 
prays  the  sun  stands  still  in  Gibeon  and  the 
moon  in  the  valley  of  Ajalon.  Hannah 
prays  and  Samuel  is  born.  Daniel  prays  and 
the  commandment  comes  to  restore  a  cap- 
tured nation  to  their  long  lost  liberty.  Elijah 
prays  and  the  heavens  give  rain  and  the 
earth  is  again  fruitful  after  a  drought  of 
three  vears  and  six  months.     Paul  and  Silas 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTINDALE.  79 

pray  and  the  prison  doors  fly  open  and  their 
feet  are  loosened  from  the  stocks.  The  breth- 
ren pray  and  Peter  is  taken  out  of  prison  by 
an  angel  of  God.  All  this  and  much  more 
has  the  Lord  done  to  encourage  us  always  to 
pray  and  not  to  faint. 

"Restraining  prayer  we  cease  to  fight, 

Prayer  makes  the  Christian  armor  bright, 
And  Satan  trembles  when  he  sees 
The  weakest  saint  upon  his  knees." 


80       BRIEF  ARTICLES  A^'D  SERMONS  OF 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

LETTER    TO    CHURCH    MEMBERS. 

Dear  Brethren — You  have  been  called 
from  darkness  to  light.  If  true  to  your  high 
and  holy  profession,  you  have  been  trans- 
lated into  the  kingdom  of  God's  dear  Son,  and 
the  good  Shepherd  claims  you  for  his  sheep. 
He  says,  ''My  sheep  hear  my  voice  and  fol- 
low me.  They  know  not  the  voice  of  stran- 
gers but  will  flee  from  them."  I  once  read 
a  fable  like  this:  A  crafty  old  wolf  had 
long  watched  an  opportunity  to  make  a  break 
on  a  certain  flock  of  sheep,  but  the  faithful 
shepherd  had  always  defeated  his  plans.  At 
last  the  wolf  hit  upon  the  scheme  to  counter- 
feit the  person  and  voice  of  the  shepherd. 
So  he  clothed  himself  in  the  shepherd's  attire 
and  took  the  crook,  that  the  shepherd  used,  in 
his  paws,  and  raised  himself  on  his  hind  feet 
and  approached  the  flock.  The  sheep  were 
completely  deceived,  and  came  running  and 
bleating  with  much  delight.  The  wolf  elated 
with  his  success,  concluded  to  make  an  effort 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTINDALE.  81 

to  imitate  the  voice  of  the  shepherd,  so  he 
could  induce  the  flock  to  follow  him  and 
make  them  an  easy  pray;  but  when  he  raised 
his  voice,  behold,  it  was  the  hideous  voice  of 
a  wolf.  The  sheep  took  fright  and  run  in 
every  direction  to  make  their  escape.  The 
application  of  this  fable  is  to  show  that 
Christ's  people  can  never  be  deceived  while 
they  are  used  to  listening  to  the  good  Shep- 
herd's voice.  The  great  Father  above  said, 
"This  is  my  beloved  Son,  hear  him."  Oh, 
Christian  brethren,  listen  daily  to  the  voice 
of  the  good  Shepherd.  He  is  able  to  lead 
3^ou  through  green  pastures  and  beside  the  still 
waters.  Let  your  delight  be  in  the  law  of 
the  Lord,  and  in  his  law  meditate  day  and 
night. 

Very  many  who  profess  to  be  Christ's 
sheep  are  feasting  their  minds  on  vapid  liter- 
ature, instead  of  looking  to  the  great  Shep- 
herd for  their  daily  food.  Our  renewed  na- 
ture must  be  called  into  exercise  or  we  will 
loathe  the  heavenly  manna.  We  ma}^  refuse 
the  food  that  the  good  Shepherd  offers,  until 
our  lean  souls  become  like  the  barren  desert 
waste.  ''If  a  man  abide  not  in  Me  he  is 
cast  forth  as  a  branch  and  is  withered." 
6 


82       BRIEF  ARTICLES  AND  SERMONS  OF 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

OBJECT    AND    FORM    OF    LOCAL    CHURCHES. 

All  who  have  been  born  of  God  according 
to  His  word  are  in  the  kingdom  or  body  of 
Christ.  Yet  the  law  requires  a  local  organi- 
zation or  church  in  the  less  or  particular 
sense,  uniting  believers  in  one  family  in 
order  to  fulfill  the  great  mission  intended,  to- 
wit  :  building  up  believers,  converting  and 
saving  the  lost,  and  at  all  times  giving  light 
to  the  world.  "Church  of  Christ"  should 
be  '  their  family  name,  and  ''Christian" 
should  be  their  individual  name,  and  the 
Holy  Scriptures  should  be  the  guide  of  their 
daily  walk  and  conduct.  The  officers  of  said 
church,  as  designated  by  divine  authority' , 
are  elders  and  deacons.  The  elder  is  some- 
times called  overseer  or  bishop.  The  elders 
and  deacons  are  to  be  chosen  by  the  congre- 
gation if  they  have  in  their  number  men  of 
such  qualifications  as  the  law  of  God  re- 
quires. If  all  are  lacking  in  those  gifts  re- 
quired, let  them  wait.     I  have  known  great 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTINDALE.  83 

harm  arising  from  men  serving  as  elders  who 
had  no  ability  either  as  teachers  or  rulers. 
When  suitable  men  are  found  and  the  church 
has  agreed  that  they  shall  be  inaugurated, 
let  a  day  be  set  apart  for  their  ordination. 
Call  one  or  two  preachers  and  let  all  meet, 
fasting,  and  join  in  prayer  that  God  will 
bless  those  persons  in  the  discharge  of  all 
their  duties.  Let  some  aged  preacher,  if 
present,  lay  his  hands  on  them  as  the  Apostle 
enjoins  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  giving  them 
such  charge  and  instruction  as  the  Word  of 
God  will  w^arrant.  If  the  congregation  is  not 
able  to  hire  a  pastor  or  evangelist,  let  them 
appoint  their  social  meetings  and  try  to  be  in 
their  places  for  worship  every  Lord's  day. 
The  church  historian  says  the  worship  of  the 
early  disciples,  w^hen  they  met  on  the  Lord's 
day,  consisted  in  reading  the  Scriptures, 
prayers,  songs,  and  commemorating  the  Sav- 
ior's death  in  breaking  bread.  That  church 
that  habitually  fails  to  worship  on  the  Lord's 
day  in  the  absence  of  a  preacher  is  not  apos- 
tolic. They  need  more  zeal  and  love  for 
Christ  and  his  cause.  If  I  am  not  very  much 
mistaken,  after  trying  many  years  to  serve 
God  and  build  up  his  cause  on  earth,  there  is 
and  ever  has  been  more  hindrance  to  the  ad- 


84       BRIEF  ARTICLES  AND  SERMONS  OF 

vancement  of  Christ's  kingdom  from  the  lack 
of  devotion  and  energy  among  our  people 
than  from  all  the  opposition  that  has  been 
brought  to  bear  against  us.  Pray  without 
ceasing  and  in  everything  give  thanks,  is  an 
injunction  that  we  overlook.  We  need  to  tr}^ 
to  break  the  spell  that  binds  us  down  to 
earth,  and  rise  in  the  might  and  power 
that  God  has  given  us.  Every  member 
should  feel  as  though  the  prosperity  of  the 
church  and  the  conversion  of  the  world  de- 
pended greatly  on  their  acting  well  their  part 
in  the  house  of  God. 

If  all  who  profess  Christ  and  have  their 
names  enrolled  upon  the  church  book  were 
Avalking  in  the  light,  their  lives  pointing  to 
Christ,  the  great  atoning  sacrifice  that  takes 
away  the  sin  of  the  world,  then  the  Gospel 
would  have  power  over  the  hearts  of  the  chil- 
dren of  men. 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTINDALE. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

ON    EXHORTATION. 

Exhortation,  admonition  and  persuasion 
are  words  of  similar  import.  The  work 
pointed  out  by  these  differs  from  teaching. 
Teaching  requires  a  higher  grade  of  qualifi- 
cations than  exhortation.  To  teach  is  to  im- 
part knowledge.  To  exhort  is  to  induce  a 
person  to  obey  the  Lord  or  to  practice  what 
they  already  know.  The  former  is  to  en- 
lighten the  understanding,  the  latter  is  to 
move  the  affections,  to  awaken  the  powers  of 
the  soul.  Exhortation  is  a  work  of  the  high- 
est importance  to  the  church.  It  is  the  work 
of  every  member,  from  the  highest  to  the 
lowest.  It  gives  scope  to  the  most  exalted 
flights  of  the  greatest  orator,  while  it  finds 
work  for  the  weakest  saints.  One  reason 
why  the  work  of  exhortation  is  so  much  neg- 
lected is  because  the  pride  of  the  human 
heart  has  prompted  many  to  desire  to 
be  teachers  and  engage  in  the  work  who 
are  not  qualified  and  of  course  not  profitable, 


86       BRIEF  ARTICLES  AND  SERMONS  OF 

while  the  work  of  exhortation  is  greatl}^  neg- 
lected, even  in  our  public  worship.  This  ac- 
counts for  the  lack  of  many  useful  gifts  that 
might  be  cultivated  if  our  churches  set  a 
higher  value  on  the  work  of  exhortation. 
The  Apostle,  in  writing  to  the  Hebrew  breth- 
ren, commanded  them  to  exhort  one  another 
daily  while  it  is  called  to-day,  lest  any  of 
them  should  be  hardened  through  the  deceit- 
fulness  of  sin.  From  this  language  we  un- 
derstand that  exnortation  is  not  confined  to 
the  worshiping  assembly,  but  is  a  daily  duty 
that  devolves  upon  Christians.  If  we  know 
that  any  of  our  associates  have  gone  astray, 
we  ought  to  persuade  them  daily  and  never 
rest  until  they  reform.  Let  parents  exhort 
their  children.  Christian  mothers,  I  ask 
you,  do  you  plead  with  your  children,  be- 
seeching them  to  turn  away  from  evil  ways 
and  obey  the  Lord?  Finally,  my  brethren, 
fathers,  mothers,  brothers  and  sisters,  all 
that  love  God  and  keep  his  commandments, 
remember  you  are  the  light  of  the  world, 
the  salt  of  the  earth.  Oh!  let  an  old, 
worn  and  feeble  servant,  now  in  the  eve- 
ning of  his  days,  admonish  you  to  more  en- 
ergetic work  in  the  cause  of  our  Great  Re- 
deemer. 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTINDALE.  87 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

PAKABLE    OF    THE    TEN    VIRGINS. 

Then  shall  the  kingdom  of  heaven  be  likened  unto 
ten  virgins,  which  took  their  lamps  and  went  forth 
to  meet  the  bridegroom.  Five  of  them  were  wise  and 
five  were  foolish.  They  that  were  foolish  took  their 
lamps  but  took  no  oil  with  them  ;  but  the  wise  took  oil  in 
their  vessels  with  their  lamps.  AYhile  the  bridegroom 
tarried  they  all  slumbered  and  slept.  And  at  mid- 
night there  was  a  cry  made,  ''Behold  the  bridegroom 
Cometh.  Go  ye  out  to  meet  him."  Then  all  those 
virgins  arose  and  trimmed  their  lamps.  And  the 
foolish  said  unto  the  wise,  give  us  of  your  oil  for 
our  lamps  are  gone  out.  But  the  wise  answered, 
not  so,  lest  there  be  not  enough  for  us  and  you,  but  go 
rather  to  them  that  sell,  and  buy  for  yourselves. 
While  they  went  to  buy,  the  bridegroom  came  and 
they  that  were  ready  went  in  with  him  to  the  marriage? 
and  the  door  was  shut. — Mat.  xxv. 

This  parable  is  taken  from  the  eastern 
mode  of  celebrating  marriages.  Ten  virgins 
were  selected  to  introduce  the  bridegroom  in- 
to the  bride  chamber.  These  virgins  were 
all  dressed  in  uniform,  representing  purity 
and  innocence.  They  were  to  repair  to  the 
house  of  the  bride  in  the  evening  with  their 


88       BRIEF  ARTICLES  AND  SERMONS  OF 

lamps  burning,  each  one  having  a  vessel 
of  oil  to  supply  her  lamp.  Here  they  were 
to  await  the  approach  of  the  bridegroom, 
which  was  sometimes  quite  late  in  the  night. 
While  they  were  waiting  for  a  groomsman  to 
announce  the  near  approach  of  the  bride- 
groom, they  all  became  drowsy  and  went  to 
sleep. 

The  kingdom  of  heaven  in  this  parable 
means  the  kingdom  that  Christ  was  about  to 
establish  on  earth.  The  ten  virgins  represent 
the  subjects  of  this  kingdom  from  its  in- 
cipiency  until  the  Lord  comes.  The  bride's 
house  means  the  eternal  mansions  above. 
The  lamp  is  the  outward  profession,  the  oil 
in  the  vessels  is  the  Christian  graces  or  the 
indwelling  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  While  the 
bridegroom  tarries  they  all  slumber  and  sleep, 
they  are  not  watching  and  are  taken  by  sur- 
prise. The  wise  had  not  attended  to  their 
lamps  until  they  were  almost  gone  out.  The 
foolish  let  their  lamps  go  out  and  no  oil  to 
renew  them. 

We  will  now  try  to  examine  the  subject  ac- 
cording to  the  above  statement.  Those  vir- 
gins must  all  have  on  the  right  garment. 
They  must  all  have  a  lamp.  They  must  all 
have  access  to  vessels  of  oil,  to  keep  up  the 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTINDALE.  89' 

light.  All  these  things  are  necessary  for  a 
proper  church  relation.  Now,  we  suppose 
there  are  but  few  persons  who  come  to  the 
church  who  are  not  honest  in  making  the 
good  confession.  There  may  be  a  few  who 
never  were  moved  by  the  Spirit  of  Truth. 
They  were  hypocrites  from  the  beginning, 
and  soon  fall  off  and  show  their  true  charac- 
ter. They  never  had  the  robe  and  the  burn- 
ing lamp  in  reality.  But  we  think  the  fool- 
ish virgins  denote  those  who  honestly  made 
a  profession  and  perhaps  ran  well  for  a  time, 
but  they  didn't  strive  against  forbidden 
things.  Riches,  honors  and  the  pleasures  of 
the  world  and  all  its  allurements  crowded  into 
their  hearts,  causing  them  to  forget  the  mercy- 
seat,  and  the  girdle  of  truth  was  cast  aside, 
and  the  waning  lamp  could  not  be  renewed 
because  the  vessels  of  oil  were  empty.  We 
fear  there  are  many  professors  in  this  day 
who  hold  church  membership  whose  lamps 
are  gone  out.  They  have  failed  to  form  a 
Christian  character  and  are  not  giving  light 
to  the  world.  One  Christian  can  not  supply 
another  with  heavenly  graces.  Such  blessed 
attainments  are  not  transferable.  We  must 
go  to  the  great  Giver  of  all  good,  who  has  an 


90       BRIEF  ARTICLES  AND  SERMONS  OF 

inexhaustible  store  of  blessings  for  his  faith- 
ful children. 

The  foolish  virgins  were  too  stupid  to  con- 
sider their  sad  case.  Their  lamps  gone  out, 
no  oil  to  renew  them,  and  in  this  condition 
they  went  to  sleep.  Just  so  we  find  it  is  with 
poor  backsliders.  The  hardest  of  all  is  to 
get  them  awake.  They  seem  to  be  dreaming 
that  all  is  well.  No  exhortation,  reproof  or 
admonition  will  avail  anything  while  they 
remain  in  this  spiritual  slumber.  But  we 
must  not  cease  the  work  of  trying  to  reclaim 
and  save  them.  Try  to  awaken  them  to  a 
sense  of  their  danger,  and  a  need  of  oil  in 
their  lamps  to  prepare  to  meet  the  bride- 
groom. We  now  come  to  consider  the  fact 
that  the  wise  virgins  while  waiting  for  the 
call  to  go  out  and  meet  the  bridegroom  be- 
came drowsy  and  went  to  sleep.  They  also 
seemed  to  be  in  danger  of  letting  their  lamps 
go  out.  It  has  long  been  a  point  unsettled 
among  divines,  whether  the  church  will  be  in 
-a  flourishing  or  declining  state  when  the 
Lord  comes.  This  parable  seems  to  favor  the 
latter  opinion.  Paul,  Peter  and  Jude  all 
speak  of  a  decline  in  spiritual  things  in  the 
latter  or  last  days.  Our  Savior's  parables, 
many   of  them,  hold  forth  the  idea  that  the 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTIXDALE.  91 

greater  part  of  professors  of  religion  will  be 
taken  by  surprise  and  not  be  found  watch- 
ing when  the  Lord  comes.  When  we  look  at 
the  present  state  of  the  professing  Christian 
world,  and  then  look  in  the  Bible  and  exa- 
mine closely  the  character  there  laid  down 
for  Christians  to  fill,  there  seems  to  be  an  awful 
failure.  Some  contending  for  creeds  and 
parties,  and  some  that  have  taken  the  Bible 
alone  for  their  creed  and  ought  to  be  pat- 
terns of  piety  and  holiness  are  not  giving 
light  to  the  world.  So  it  is,  and  perhaps  it 
will  be  until  the  Lord  comes.  At  all  events, 
we  may  safely  conclude  that  the  parable  un- 
der consideration  was  intended  as  a  warning 
to  all  Christians  not  to  go  to  sleep  and  let 
their  lamps  go  out. 

I  believe  in  a  millenium,  but  whether  it 
will  take  place  before  or  after  the  resurrection 
of  the  Lord's  people  is  not  so  plain.  My 
strongest  impression  is  that  the  church  will 
be  cold  and  the  world  will  be  wicked  when 
Jesus  comes  and  that  the  millenium  will  be 
after  the  first  resurrection.  Yet  I  am  happy 
to  think  it  will  be  right  as  the  Lord  is  pleased 
to  have  it,  and  so  let  it  rest.  Now.  we  come 
to  the  closing  scene  of  the  parable.  They 
that   were    ready    went  in  with  him    to   the 


,  92       BRIEF  ARTICLES  AND  SERMONS  OF 

marriage,  and  the  door  was  shut.  How  in- 
describably grand  and  glorious  will  be  the 
coming  of  the  Lord.  The  prophet  Daniel, 
says,  ''I  beheld  till  the  thrones  were  cast 
down  and  the  ancient  of  days  did  sit  whose 
garments  were  white  as  snow,  and  the  hair 
of  his  head  like  the  pure  wool.  His  throne 
was  like  the  fiery-flame,  his  wheels  as  burn- 
ing fire.  A  fiery  stream  issued  and  came 
forth  before  him.  Thousands  of  thousands 
ministered  unto  him,  and  ten  thousand 
times  ten  thousand  stood  before  him.  The 
judgment  was  set  and  the  books  were 
opened." 

Paul  in  his  letters  to  Thessalonians  says, 
''The  Lord  Jesus  will  be  revealed  from 
heaven  with  his  mighty  angels  in  flaming 
fire,  taking  vengeance  on  them  that  know  not 
God  and  obey  not  the  Gospel."  Again,  "the 
Lord  himself  shall  descend  from  heaven  with 
a  shout,  with  the  voice  of  the  archangel  and 
the  trump  of  God.  The  righteous  all  safe  in 
the  everlasting  mansions,  and  the  door  shut." 
The  awful  sentence  comes  to  those  who  fail 
to  enter  "Depart  from  me  all  you  that  work 
iniquity."  Among  all  that  will  be  con- 
demned when  the  Lord  comes,  none  will  be 
so  sadly  disappointed  as  the  careless,  prayer- 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTINDALE.  93 

less  professors,  represented  by  the  foolish 
virgins.  Dear  brethren,  let  us  take  warning 
from  the  Savior's  own  lips.  Let  us  have  our 
lamps  trimmed  and  burning,  and  be  ready  to 
meet  the  bridegroom  when  he  comes.  Then 
we  will  not  be  alarmed  when  we  hear  the 
voice  of  the  archangel,  and  the  trumpet  that 
shall  awake  the  sleeping  dead.  Then  we 
shall  be  caught  up  to  meet  the  Lord  in  the 
air,  and  so  forever  be  with  the  Lord.  This 
is  the  embodiment  of  the  Christian's  hope. 
It  holds  the  vessel  while  the  waves  run  high. 
Though  the  storm  may  be  raging,  all  is  safe 
while  the  anchor  hope  enters  to  that  within 
the  vale  whither  the  forerunner  is  for  us 
entered,  even  Jesus,  our  great  high  priest. 

.    "A  hope  so  great  and  so  divine, 
May  trials  well  endure, 
And  purify  our  souls  from  sin, 
As  Christ  himself  is  pure." 


94       BRIEF  ARTICLES  AND  SERMONS  OF 


CHAPTER  XYII. 

RELIGION  AND  POLITICS. 

Some  professors  of  religion  are  very  sensi- 
tive about  politics  in  the  pulpit.  I  always 
think  a  man  must  have  something  bad  in 
his  politics  when  he  is  so  easily  offended  in 
this  matter.  Two  objects  should  be  kept  in 
view  in  the  administration  of  civil  laws  ;  one 
is  the  purity  of  the  body  politic  and  the  other 
is  to  look  after  the  temporal  demands  of  the 
people.  Now  all  that  part  of  politics  that  is 
connected  with  justice  and  righteousness  has 
to  do  with  the  morals  of  the  people,  and  is 
justly  a  pulpit  theme."  The  Apostles  lived 
under  a  monarchial  form  of  government  and 
they  commanded  prayers  to  be  offered  for 
kings  and  for  those  in  authority,  that  right- 
eous laws  might  be  enacted.  In  our  govern- 
ment. Christians  have  the  power  to  help 
mould  the  laws,  and  they  are  responsible 
to  God  for  all  their  influence  in  this 
direction.  How  can  we  expect  the  govern- 
ment to  be  for  the  punishment  of  evil  doers 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTINDALE.  95 

and  for  the  praise  of  them  that  do  well  if  the 
church  withholds  its  influence.  No  great 
political  reform  can  be  brought  about  while 
the  pulpit  maintains  silence  on  the  question, 
unless  it  should  come  in  the  form  of  a  great 
and  bloody  re\^olution.  During  the  long 
years  of  oppression  to  the  colored  people,  the 
preachers  were  forbidden  to  cry  out  against 
the  sin  even  in  the  North.  If  some  ignorant 
preacher  would  stand  in  the  pulpit  and  tell 
the  people  that  slavery  was  a  divine  institu- 
tion and  tolerated  by  the  Bible  and  even  at- 
tempt to  put  a  holy  stamp  and  seal  upon  the 
auction  block,  he  was  looked  upon  as  being  a 
Bible  preacher.  But  let  the  true  man  of  God 
come  to  the  front  bearing  a  message  of  love 
to  God  and  love  to  our  fellow-men,  let  him 
point  out  the  slave  dealer  and  say,  "  Woe 
unto  him  that  buildeth  his  house  by  unright- 
eousness and  his  chambers  by  w^rongs  ;  that 
useth  his  neighbor's  service  without  wages 
and  giveth  him  naught  for  his  w^ork."  This 
would  have  been  classed  political  preaching  and 
would  have  called  down  never-ending  curses 
upon  the  head  of  the  poor  defenseless  preacher 
who  was  bold  enough  to  publicly  utter  such 
words.  Well,  we  have  had  our  school  of 
bloodshed,  and  as  its  dark  chapters  were  un- 


96       BRIEF  ARTICLES  AND  SERMONS  OF 

folded,  they  seemed  to  all  point  toward 
breaking  the  chains  and  letting  the  oppressed 
go  free.  Yes,  that  was  to  be  the  sequel — the 
closing  scene  of  the  great  drama.  Now  it  is 
ended,  can  the  preacher  be  permitted  to  talk 
about  dealing  justly  and  loving  mercy?  No, 
not  if  he  means  dealing  justly  with  the  col- 
ored people  ;  that  would  be  bringing  politics 
into  the  pulpit. 

I  knew  a  case  where  a  church  became 
horrified  at  their  pastor  for  saying  a  few 
words  in  a  discourse  to  the  effect  that  slavery 
had  drawn  down  awful  judgments  on  our 
country,  and  he  feared  that  we  as  a  nation 
had  not  repented  as  much  as  we  should. 
Those  who  attempt  to  guard  the  pulpit  are 
generally  a  class  who  need  the  very  preach- 
ing they  are  trying  to  shut  off.  PauL 
preached  against  political  sins  and  every 
other  kind,  and  Martin  Luther,  when  he  set 
himself  like  steel  against  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church,  had  to  meet  both  church  and  state 
combined.  When  the  nation  endorses  a 
great  sin,  that  sin  has  become  popularized, 
and  needs  the  church  to  rally  its  forces  in 
every  way  possible  to  try  to  counteract  the 
evil.  No  true  man  of  God  will  help  politic- 
-ally  to  make  strong  the  nation's  wrongs.     If 


i 


P:LDER  ELIJAH  MARTINDALE.  97 

he  must  stand  alone,  let  him  free  himself 
from  complicity  in  what  he  knows  to  be 
wrong.  The  angel  above  records  our  deeds 
and  our  influence  is  lasting  as  eternity. 


98       BRIEF  ARTICLES  AND  SERMOXS  OF 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

WHERE  IS  THE  TRUE  CHURCH  OF  CHRIST? 

There  is  one  body  and  one  Spirit,  even  as  you  are 
called  in  one  hope  of  your  calling.  One  Lord,  one  faith, 
one  baptism,  one  God  and  Father  of  all  who  is  above 
all  and  through  all  and  in  you  all.— E ph.  iv :  4,  5,  6  v. 

Here  are  seven  units.  The  first  tliree  rep- 
resents tlie  churcli  in  its  embodied  or  united 
form.  One  body,  one  spirit  and  one  hope. 
The  second  three  are  to  represent  the  cliurcli 
as  individuals.  So  Paul  sa^^s,  "Now  ye  are 
the  body  of  Christ  and  member  in  particu- 
lar." So  then  each  member  comes  into  the 
body  by  one  Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism, 
and  have  received  one  spirit  and  one  hope. 
God  the  Father  of  all  dwells  in  them.  Oh, 
what  wonders  of  love  and  mercy  to  be  de- 
livered from  the  kingdom  of  darkness  and 
translated  into  the  kingdom  of  God's  dear 
Son.  We  find  the  church  of  Christ  made  up 
of  sinners,  saved  by  grace,  saved  by  the 
blood  of  Christ,  saved  by  faith,  saved  by  re- 
pentance, saved  by  baptism,   saved  by  hope. 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTINDALE.  99 

All  these  are  spoken  of    by    the  Apostles  as 
having  saving  power. 

We  have  shown  that  there  is  one  true 
church,  and  all  who  are  in  this  one  body 
have  one  Lord,  one  faith  and  one  baptism. 
Some  religious  people  will  say,  yes,  that  is 
Bible  doctrine,  but  it  does't  mean  water,  it 
means  baptism  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Jesus 
said,  ''Except  ye  be  born  of  water  and  of  the 
Spirit,  ye  can  not  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
God;"  and  the  Apostles  were  commanded 
•'To  teach  all  nations,  baj)tizing  them  in  the 
name  of  the  Father  and  of  the  Son  and  of  the 
Holy  Ghost;"  and  Paul  says  in  his  Collossian 
letter  "having  been  buried  with  him  in  bap- 
tism." Peter  says,  ''the  like  figure  wherein 
baptism  doth  now  save  us. "  We  will  have  to 
concede  that  the  one  baptism  is  of  water,  or  we 
will  have  to  trample  on  some  of  the  plainest 
Scripture  recorded  in  the  word  of  divine 
truth.  Yet  we  are  not  so  sanguine  as  to  be- 
lieve that  all  who  come  to  the  ordinance  of 
baptism  are  true  disciples  of  the  blessed  Mas- 
ter. The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  a  net 
cast  into  the  sea,  it  gathers  of  every  kind. 
"The  seed  sow^n  sometimes  falls  into  stony 
ground,  or  among  thorns,  or  by  the  wayside, 
l)ut  when  it  falls  into  good  and  honest  hearts, 


100    BRIEF  ARTICLES  AND  SERMON'S  OF 

it  brings  forth  some  thirty,  some  sixty,  some 
an  hundred  fold. 

The  artful  destroyer  of  souls  is  gaining  a 
great  victory  now  in  the  world  on  account  of 
divisions,  sects  and  party  strife.  The  salva- 
tion of  a  lost  and  ruined  world  is  being 
greatly  prevented,  and  the  object  of  our 
Savior's  death  is  being  defeatedby  the  jarring 
creeds  of  the  religious  world.  Now  if  the 
above  thought  is  true,  how  careful  should 
every  church  member  be  to  know  that  he  is 
contending  earnestly  for  the  faith  once  de- 
livered to  the  saints. 

Paul  warns  the  churches  against  divisions, 
and  exhorts  the  disciples  all  to  speak  the 
same  things.  In  the  divided  state  of  the 
Christian  world,  two  extremes  have  become 
apparent.  One  is  to  depend  entirely  on  the 
work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  and  ignore  God's 
positive  commands.  The  other  is  to  depend 
too  much  on  the  positive  commands  and 
neglect  that  part  that  tends  to  building  the 
moral  and  spiritual  interests  of  the  church. 
Some  of  God's  commands  are  right  of  them- 
selves, such  as,  ''husbands love  your  wives," 
''children  obey  your  parents,"  but  the  com- 
mand to  a  penitent  sinner  to  be  baptized  is 
positive  law,  and  is  right  because  it  is  com- 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTINDALE.  IQl 

manded.  Our  first  parents  fell  by  dis- 
obedience to  positive  law.  Circumcision  was 
a  positive  law.  To  look  on  the  brazen  ser- 
pent, the  healing  of  the  Assyrian  officer. 
The  sounding  of  the  Ram's  Horn  at  the  siege 
of  Jericho  and  many  such  things  were  of  the 
order  of  positive  law.  When  we  read  of  the 
fall  of  Adam,  the  fall  of  the  Israelites  in  the 
wilderness,  and  all  the  judgments  that  have 
been  melted  out  to  defaulters  of  positive  law, 
should  we  not  tremble  at  the  thought  of  dis- 
obedience? When  we  hear  infidels  scoff  at 
the  divine  commandments,  we  are  not  sur- 
prised, but  it  is  sad  to  hear  professors  of  re- 
ligion making  light  of  these  things,  calling 
them  outward  forms,  only  the  shell.  It  has 
no  validity  in  the  work  of  grace.  It  is  a 
mere  ceremony,  etc. 

But  some  one  says,  don't  you  see  how  easy 
it  is  for  a  person  to  be  baptized  and  join  the 
church,  attend  to  the  Lord's  Supper  and  still 
be  a  hypocrite?  Yes,  I  see  all  that,  and 
lament  that  some  fail  to  show  the  fruits  of  a 
godly  life.  But  on  the  other  hand,  don't 
you  see  how  easy  it  is  for  a  person  to  make 
great  pretentions  to  spiritual  enjoyments  and 
talk  of  heart-felt  religion,  and  still  be  a  hypo- 
crite?    The  good,   old  prophet  Samuel,  told 


102     BRIEF  ARTICLES  AND  SERMONS  OF 

Saul  once,  that  ''  obedience  was  better  than 
sacrifice,  and  hearken  was  better  than  the 
fat  of  rams.  For  rebellion  is  as  the  sin  of 
witchcraft  and  stubbornness  is  as  iniquity 
and  idolatry."  Now,  I  do  most  confidently 
believe  in  the  gift  of  the  Spirit  as  promised 
to  the  Christians  in  the  Gospel  age,  but  we 
are  taught  that  the  world  can  not  receive  this 
heavenly  visitor.  The  temple  of  the  heart 
must  be  cleansed  before  it  can  receive  this 
holy  guest.  Hence,  all  this  praying  for  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  come  down  and  convert  sinners 
is  unscriptural.  '  'Let  the  sinner  listen  to  the 
truths  of  the  Gospel,  and  try  to  exercise  faith 
in  Christ,  repent  of  his  sins  and  be  baptized, 
calling  upon  the  name  of  the  Lord,  then 
arise  to  walk  in  newness  of  life,  and  they  have 
the  promise  of  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit  as 
an  abiding  comforter."  Then  let  them  add 
to  their  faith,  virtue,  knowledge,  temperance, 
patience,  godliness,  brotherly  kindness,  and 
above  all  charity,  that  covereth  a  multitude 
of  sins.  Oh,  how  I  would  rejoice  to  see  the 
church  arise  from  its  stupor,  put  on  its 
beautiful  garments  and  come  forth  bright  as 
the  sun,  fair  as  the  moon  and  terrible  as  an 
army  with  banners.  Lord  increase  the  faith- 
ful band  who  are  working  for  the  purity  of 
the  church. 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTIXDALE.  IQ- 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

LETTER    TO    MY    BROTHER     JOHN. 

(Written,  May  23, 1865.) 

Dear  Brothi:r — This  day,  four  years  ago, 
we,  with  some  others,  made  a  visit  to  our 
dear  mother's  grave.  While  we  stood  around 
that  spot  made  sacred  to  us  by  the  loved  form 
that  was  here  interred  twenty-two  years  and 
seventeen  days  before,  how  natural  it  was 
for  our  minds  to  travel  back  to  our  infantile 
and  youthful  days.  Here  mouldering  back 
to  dust  are  those  kind  hands  that  ministered 
to  my  wants  when  I  lay  helpless  on  her  lap. 

I  was  her  first  born,  and  so  I  was  cared 
for  with  more  than  usual  interest.  How 
many  painful  hours  she  spent  in  watching 
and  caring  for  me  and  for  you,  m}^  brother, 
and  for  all  her  children.  Tender  and  affec- 
tionate, always  ready  to  face  danger,  priva- 
tion and  toil  to  make  us  safe  and  comforta- 
ble. But  more  than  ever}^  natural  tie,  our 
mother  was  one  that  possessed,  in  a  large  de- 
gree, the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ.      Her  faith 


104     BRIEF  ARTICLES  AND  SERMOXS  OF 

and  her  earnest  prayers  were  a  great  means 
under  God  of  bringing  you  and  me  into  the 
blessed  Savior's  fold.  Our  father  was  a  kind 
parent,  and  became  religious  when  I  was 
ver}^  young.  I  well  remember  when  he  was 
baptized  in  a  branch  of  the  Little  Miami, 
Warren  county,  Ohio,  b}'  a  minister  whose 
name  was  Joshua  Carmin.  Father  and 
mother  were  then  both  religious,  both  mem- 
bers of  the  Baptist  Church.  Mother  joined 
the  Baptist  when  she  was  quite  young,  in 
South  Carolina.  Now  they  could  be  helpers 
and  co-workers  in  bringing  up  their  children 
in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord. 
Had  we  not  been  restrained  in  our  days  of 
youthful  folly  by  the  pious  lives  and  godly 
admonitions  of  our  dear  parents,  you  and  I 
my  dear  brother,  might  have  been  undone 
forever.  Oh,  how  thankful  we  should  ever 
be  to  God  our  Heavenly  Father  for  giving  us 
religious  parents.  You  know,  when  I  was 
married,  like  most  others  in  those  days,  I 
had  to  begin  in  the  woods  to  make  a  farm. 
Mother  would  often  walk  that  pathway,  some 
half  a  mile  between  her  house  and  ours.  I 
remember  one  beautiful  morning,  in  the 
spring  of  1816,  I  was  busy  chopping  in  my 
clearing  the  logs  and  brush  heaps  thick.     I 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTIXDALE.  105 

looked  up  and  saw  mother  coming  toward  me. 
She  had  concluded  to  give  me  an  exhortation 
before  she  went  to  the  house.  I  suppose,  I 
was  apprised  of  her  business,  for  she  often 
labored  with  me  in  those  days.  When  slie 
was  near  enough  to  speak  conveniently  she 
sat  down  on  a  log  and  said,  come  here  my 
son  and  be  seated  by  me,  I  want  to  talk  some 
to  you  about  your  soul.  There  was  so  much 
heart-felt  tenderness  manifested  in  the  voice, 
in  the  looks  and  in  the  language,  that  I  felt 
a  dart  of  conviction  the  moment  she  spoke 
these  words.  I  dropped  my  ax,  walked  for- 
ward and  took  a  seat  as  she  requested.  I 
wish  I  had  her  arguments  and  appeals,  but 
they  are  gone  from  my  memory,  though  I 
still  retain  in  my  mind  vividly  the  deep  and 
lasting  influence  of  her  faithful  and  oft-re- 
peated warnings  and  kind  admonitions.  I  often 
think,  dear  brother,  of  what  you  told  me 
about  mother's  great  anxiety  to  see  me  before 
she  left  this  world.  She  had  been  encour- 
aged to  look  for  a  visit  from  me,  but  I  failed 
to  get  ready  to  make  the  journe}^  (a  distance 
of  two  hundred  miles),  until  I  heard  she  was 
gone.  All  that  comforts  me  now  is  the  re- 
flection that  I  was  so  engaged  in  the  work  of 
the  ministrv  that  I  found  no  time  to  make  the 


106     BRIEF  ARTICLES  AND  SERMONS  OF 

long  journey.  I  was  doing  a  good  work,  still 
it  would  have  been  a  great  comfort  to  me 
had  it  been  so  that  I  could  have  seen  her 
once  more.  But  there  is  a  meeting  now  not 
far  ahead,  where  I  hope  to  be  permitted  to 
see  all  the  Lord's  people.  There,  my  dear 
brother,  we  will  meet,  there  we  will  see  our 
dear  parents,  there  we  will  call  to  mind  many 
things  in  which  the  Lord  has  been  gracious, 
many  mysterious  providences  then  will  be 
plain  in  the  light  of  eternity. 

In  conclusion,  dear  brother,  let  me  encour- 
age you  with  myself  to  be  faithful  in  the 
work  of  winning  souls  to  God.  Though  we  go 
weeping,  bearing  precious  seed,  we  will  come 
at  the  great  harvest  bringing  in  our  sheaves. 


ELDP:R  ELIJAH  MARTINDALE.  107 


CHAPTER    XX. 

EXTRACT  FROM  SPEECH  DELIVERED  AT  AX  OLD 
settlers'  meeting  at  new  CASTLE,  IND., 
AUG.    10,    1871. 

In  the  spring  of  1832,  I  moved  to  Henry 
county.  But  before  I  moved,  I  had  to  build 
a  cabin.  So  I  got  some  friends  to  help  me 
cut  and  haul  some  round  logs  to  a  suitable 
site.  I  was  told  the  common  custom  was  to 
have  whisky  at  house  raisings.  I  told 
Robert  Boyd,  who  had  been  in  the  countv 
some  time,  I  could  not  conform  to  the  liquor 
custom.  Now,  had  I  better  tell  them  as  I 
went  round  asking  my  hands  that  I  was  a 
teetotaler,  or  ask  my  hands  and  say  nothing 
about  it?  He  advised  the  latter.  I  took  his 
advice,  but  repented  it  afterward.  The  hands 
turned  out  well  and  went  to  work  in  good 
style,  but  pretty  soon  the  flouts  and  jeers  be- 
gan to  fly  thick  and  fast.  One  hallooed, 
"cold  water  and  good  wishes,  boys."  I  called 
attention  till  I  would  make  a  short  speech. 
When   all  was  still  I  said,  "I  am  partially  a 


108     BRIEF  AETICLES  AND  SERMONS  OF 

stranger  among  you,  I  want  to  conform  to 
your  rules  of  neighborship  as  far  as  I  can 
conscientiously."  I  then  stated  the  advice  I 
had  accepted  from  friend  Boyd.  Now  if 
they  thought  I  had  deceived  them,  just  quit 
and  go  home,  I  would  not  say  hard  things  of 
any  of  them,  but  would  try  to  get  my  house 
raised  as  best  I  could.  Some  one  hallooed 
out,  ''put  up  the  man's  house  and  say  no  more 
about  the  bottle."  But  a  few  could  not  bear 
to  miss  a  dram,  so  they  made  up  a  purse  and 
sent  a  boy  for  a  jug  of  whisk}^  When  it 
came  there  were  but  a  few  who  would  drink, 
seeing  it  was  an  insult  to  me  and  other  tem- 
perate men  present.  Some  of  them  got 
drunk  and  let  a  log  fall,  that  came  near  kill- 
ing Peter  Labortaux.  From  that  ver}^  day 
the  practice  of  using  strong  drink  at  gather- 
ings has  been  on  the  wane.  Men  would  be 
ashamed  to-day  to  bring  out  the  bottle  on 
such  occasions.  Much  has  been  done  since 
I  was  a  boy  to  stop  the  ravages  of  intem- 
perance, yet  much  more  must  yet  be  done  be- 
fore our  fellow-men  will  be  saved  from  falling 
into  a  drunkard's  grave. 

In  conclusion,  permit  me  to  say  a  few 
words  to  the  old  settlers  of  this  meeting.  In 
the  gracious  providence  of  God,  we  have  been 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTINDALE.  109 

spared  these  many  years  on  the  earth.  We 
have  come  down  from  a  former  generation. 
Few  of  our  youthful  associates  are  now  living. 
We  have  been  permitted  to  see  great  changes 
in  our  country.  Once  we  had  to  drag  through 
mud  to  do  all  our  marketing  and  visiting. 
Cincinnati  was  our  depot,  and  bad  roads  at 
that.  We  have  seen  the  wild  forests  changed 
into  beautiful  fields  of  waving  grain.  The 
roads  graveled,  the  iron  horse  snorting  and 
hissing,  ready  to  convey  us  and  our  produce 
from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  shores.  We 
have  seen  news  carried  with  the  speed  of 
lightning,  but  more  than  all  that  we  have 
lived  to  see  the  prison  doors  open  and  the 
oppressed  go  free,  and  beside  all  this  we 
have  lived  to  see  the  Bible,  that  way-bill  to 
heaven,  sent  to  almost  every  nation  on  the 
earth,  aiid  published  in  their  own  native 
tongue.  Once  a  Bible  would  cost  more  than 
a  common  laborer  could  pay.  Now  fifty 
cents  will  buy  the  whole  volume  of  God's  rev- 
elation to  man.  Ten  cents  for  a  new  testa- 
ment. May  God  hasten  the  happy  day  when 
our  Savior  will  set  judgment  in  the  earth,  and 
the  isles  shall  wait  for  his  law. 


no     BRIEF  ARTICLES  AND  SERMONS  OF 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

(Sermon  delivered  at  the  Christian  Chapel,  New  (Jastle,  April  13, 
1873.) 

Wherefore  gird  up  the  loins  of  your  mind,  be  soher 
and  hope  to  the  end  for  the  grace  that  is  to  be  brought 
unto  you  at  the  revelation  of  Jesus  Christ. — Peter  i : 
1-13 

It  seems  that  the  brethren  addressed  by  the 
Apostle  in  the  text  were  in  heaviness 
through  many  fokl  temptations.  He  warns 
them  to  be  well  armed  for  the  conflict^  lest 
their  faith  should  be  shaken  and  their  hope 
should  be  lost.  He  exhorts  them  to  gird  up  the 
loins  of  their  mind,  using  a  figure  of  speech. 
The  loins  being  the  foundation  of  bodily 
strength;  there  was  an  ancient  custom  of 
wearing  a  girdle  to  assist  in  giving  power  to 
perform  great  and  protracted  exertion  of  the 
body.  Hence,  it  is  used  in  Scripture  as  a 
means  of  giAdng  strength  in  the  great  con- 
flicts the  Christian  is  called  to  meet.  Paul 
exhorts  the  Ephesian  brethren  to  stand 
having  their  loins  girt  about  with  truth. 
Truth    then    is    the    girdle    to   be    Avorn,    by 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTIXDALE.  m 

which  we  are  to  successfully  combat  all  the 
powers  of  the  world,  the  flesh  and  the  devil. 
This  truth  is  composed  of  all  the  facts,  com- 
mands, promises  and  warnings  of  the  Gospel 
of  Christ.  How  many  professing  to  be 
soldiers  of  the  cross  have  been  captured  by 
the  enemy  for  the  want  of  this  girdle.  Fin- 
ally, let  us  hear  the  words  of  the  blessed 
Master  on  this  subject.  '^Let  your  loins  be 
girded  about,  your  lamps  burning  and  ye 
yourselves  like  unto  men  that  wait  for  their 
Lord  when  he  will  return  from  the  wedding, 
that  when  he  cometh  and  knocketh  they  may 
open  unto  Him  immediately."  ''Blessed  are 
those  servants,  whom  the  Lord  when  He 
cometh  shall  find  watching." 

We  now  pass  to  the  second  injunction,  be 
sober.  These  words  stand  in  the  form  of  a 
command,  prohibiting  excessive  mirthfulness, 
jesting  and  joking  which  are  not  convenient, 
but  rather  giving  of  thanks.  Gravity  is  the 
proper  element  for  the  Christian,  and  especi- 
ally when  they  meet  in  the  Lord's  house  for 
worship.  In  order  that  the  great  truths  of 
the  Gospel  may  find  their  way  to  the  hearts 
of  unbelievers,  it  is  required  of  the  Lord's 
people  to  be  sober-minded,  and  show  a  de- 
votional spirit  when  they  assemble  for   wor- 


112    BRIEF  ARTICLES  AND  SERMONS  OF 

ship.  Especially  should  the  preacher  in 
view  of  his  great  calling  exercise  sobriety 
and  gravity.  I  have  often  been  pained  to  see 
and  hear  otherwise  good  and  profitable  min- 
isters of  the  Gospel,  when  out  of  the  pul- 
pit, destroy  much  of  their  power  and  influence 
by  vain  and  giddy  conversation.  The  plain 
word  teaches  that  w^e  shall  be  brought  into 
judgment  for  our  idle  words;  and  the  Savior 
said,  "By  thy  words  thou  shalt  be  justified, 
and  by  thy  words  thou  shalt  be  condemned." 
Christ  wept  over  the  erring,  he  wept  with  the 
sorrowing,  but  no  giddy,  foolish  words  ever 
escaped  his  lips.  Oh,  let  us  have  more  of 
the  spirit  of  the  meek  and  lowly  Jesus. 
Let  all  w^ho  name  the  name  of  Christ  try  to 
imitate  his  example  in  sobriety,  in  purity,  in 
long  suffering,  endeavoring  to  keep  the 
unity  of  the  spirit  in  the  bond  of  peace. 
•  We  come  now  to  the  concluding  member  of 
the  text.  ''Hope  to  the  end  for  the  grace  that 
is  to  be  brought  at  the  revelation  of  Jesus 
Christ."  God  has  formed  our  minds  so  that 
w^e  may  enjoy  this  blessed  solace,  this  happy- 
fying,  soul-enlivening  influence  called  hope. 
It  is  composed  of  confident  expectation 
coupled  with  strong  desire.  It  is  compared 
to  an  anchor  of  a  ship  wdiich   holds  it  steady 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTINDALE.  113 

amid  storms  and  tempests.  Yes,  hope  is  an 
anchor  to  the  soul  both  sure  and  steadfast, 
and  entering  to  that  within  the  vale  where 
Jesus  has  entered,  and  we  look  for  the  glori- 
ous appearing  of  the  great  God,  and  our 
Savior,  Jesus  Christ. 

I  was  taught  in  my  youthful  days  that 
hope  looked  to  the  pardon  of  our  past  sins. 
This  would  be  doubting  the  truth  of  God's 
word.  Nothing  will  satisfy  the  truly  awak- 
ened and  deeply  penitent  sinner  short  of  a 
knowledge  of  his  sins  forgiven.  How  can 
we  rejoice  evermore  looking  forward  to  the 
prize  that  lies  at  the  end  of  the  race  unless 
we  have  the  blessed  knowledge  or  assurance 
that  our  sins  are  all  forgiven?  We  are  not 
to  hope  for  the  pardon  of  our  past  sins,  but 
we  are  to  hope  for  the  grace  that  is  to  be 
brought  unto  us  at  the  revelation  of  Jesus 
Christ. 

Many  trials  and  much  opposition  the 
Christian  is  called  to  meet.  He  often  feels 
like  David  under  the  persecutions  of  King 
Saul:  ''Surely  one  day  I  shall  fall  by  the 
hand  of  my  enemies;  "  but  hope  comes  to  his 
relief  and  he  can  sing,  "  Oh,  my  soul  hope 
thou  in  God,  for  I  shall  yet  praise  thee." 
8 


114    BRIEF  ARTICLES  AND  SERMONS  OF 

Tribulation  worketli  patience,  patience  expe- 
rience, and  experience  hope. 

Hope  maketh  not  ashamed  because  the 
love  of  God  is  shed  abroad  in  our  hearts  by 
the  Holy  Ghost  which  is  given  unto  us.  Oh 
let  us  hope  to  the  end  for  the  grace  that  is  to 
be  brought  at  the  revelation  of  Jesus  Christ. 
Then  thq  saints  will  be  clothed  with  immor- 
tality. 

That  great  city,  New  Jerusalem,  will  come 
down  from  God  out  of  Heaven  prepared  as  a 
bride  adorned  for  her  husband.  Blessed  are 
they  who  are  called  unto  the  marriage  sup- 
per of  the  Lamb.  Jesus,  with  all  his  people, 
shall  enter  the  palace  royal  to  go  no  more  out 
forever.  Behold,  the  tabernacle  of  God  is 
with  men  and  he  will  dwell  with  them  and 
they  shall  be  his  people.  And  there  shall 
be  no  night  there;  and  they  need  no  candle, 
neither  light  of  the  sun,  for  the  Lord  God 
giveth  them  light  and  they  shall  reign  for- 
ever and  ever.      Even  so,  come  Lord  Jesus. 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTINDALE.  115 


SONG 

I    USED    TO    HEAR    MY    FATHER    SING. 

(In  which  the  Christian  Journey  is  Compared  to  a  Voyage  on  the 
Sea.) 

Through  tribulation  deep, 

The  way  to  glory  is ; 
This  stormy  course  I  keep 

O'er  these  tempestuous  seas, 
By  winds  and  weaves  I'm  tossed  and  driven, 
Freighted  with  grace  and  bound  for  heaven. 

The  Bible  is  my  chart, 

By  it  the  seas  I  know, 
I  can  not  with  it  part, 

It  rocks  and  sands  doth  show ; 
It  is  a  chart  and  compass,  too, 
Whose  needle  points  forever  true. 

AVhen  a  dead  calm  ensues. 

And  heaven  no  breezes  give, 
The  oar  of  prayer  I  use ; 

I  labor,  toil  and  strive 
Through  storms  and  calms  for  many  a  day, 
I  make  but  very  little  way. 

But  when  a  heavenly  breeze 

Springs  up  and  fills  my  sails. 
My  vessel  goes  with  ease 

Before  the  pleasant  gales, 
And  runs  as  much  an  hour  or  more 
As  in  a  month  or  two  before. 


116    BRIEF  ARTICLES  AND  SERMONS  OF 

As  at  the  time  of  noon, 

My  quadrant  faith  I  take 
To  view  the  Christ  my  sun, 

In  hopes  the  clouds  to  break  ; 
I'm  happy  when  his  face  I  see, 
I  know  then  whereabouts  I  be. 

When  storms  and  tempests  come, 

My  anchor  hope  I  cast ; 
Faith  is  my  cable  strong, 

It  holds  my  vessel  fast. 
She  safely  then  at  anchor  rides 
Midst  stormy  waves  and  swelling  tides. 

My  vessel  would  be  lost 

In  spite  of  all  my  care. 
But  that  the  Holy  One 

Vouchsafes  himself  to  steer ; 
Both  day  and  night  his  watchful  care 
My  vessel  keeps  from  every  snare. 

E'er  I  can  reach  heaven's  coast, 

I  must  a  gulf  pass  through ; 
My  vessel  though  not  lost 

Must  fail  to  mortal  view ; 
My  ransomed  spirit  then  set  free. 
No  more  to  pass  this  dangerous  sea. 

Though  rough,  it  is  but  short ; 

The  pilot  angels  bring 
And  lead  me  into  port 

Redeeming  love  to  sing; 
And,  when  I  land  on  that  blest  shore, 
I  shall  be  safe  forevermore. 

Elder  Elijah  Martindale,  departed  this  life 
July  21st,  1874. 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTINDALE.  117 


HISTORY   OF   THE   MARTINDALE  FAMILY 
IN  AMERICA. 


BY    ELIJAH    MARTINDALE. 


My  greatgrandfather,  William Martindale,  was  born 
in  Philadelphia,  where  his  father  settled  when  he  came 
from  England.  He  had  five  sons,  James,  John,  Joseph, 
William  and  Thomas.  Two  of  his  daughters  married 
Youngs,  and  one  married  Norman.  William,  the 
fourth  son,  was  my  grandfather,  and  was  born  March 
8,  1753,  and  died  Jan.  24,  1854,  aged  100  years,  ten 
months  and  sixteen  days.  His  sons  were  John,  Moses 
and  James.  His  daughters  were  Sarah,  married  to 
James  Odle ;  Polly,  married  Henry  Garret ;  Nancy, 
married  Doan Bright;  Rachel,  married  Thomas  Clark; 
Patsy,  married  William  Jones;  Ruth,  married  Jesse 
Young  first,  he  dying,  she  married  William  Boyd.  My 
grandfather  had  three  half  brothers,  Martin,  Miles 
and  David. 

My  father,  John  Martindale,  was  born  Oct.  12,  1772, 
and  died  July  22,  1852.  He  had  four  sons,  Elijah,  Will- 
iam, John  and  Robert.  My  sisters  were,  Rachel,  mar- 
ried Jesse  Platts;  Polly,  married  William  Roe;  Peggy 
married  Eli  Roe ;  Sarah,  married  Boston  Overrocker ; 
Lavina,  married  Silas  Crocker.  My  brother  John  has  for 
many  years  been  a  faithful  and  successful  preacher  in 
the  church  of  Christ.     His  labors  have  been  chiefly  in 


118  MARTINDALE  HISTORY  BY 

Iowa,  where  he  has  resided  for  a  number  of  years.  My 
grandmothers  were  Martha  Bishop,  on  father's  side,  and 
Margaret  Pierson  on  mother's  side.  My  grandfather, 
Robert  Burns,  was  the  son  of  Tarens  Burns  of  Ireland. 
Several  of  my  mother's  uncle  Burns'  were  preachers. 
My  mother,  Polly  Burns  (before  she  was  married), 
had  four  brothers,  Jeremiah,  Thomas,  James  and 
Robert.  Her  sisters  were,  Tabitha,  married  Jesse 
Jones ;  Rachel,  married  Jonathan  Campbell ;  Margaret, 
married  John  Pierson.  Uncle  Jeremiah  Burns  was  an 
eminent  preacher  of  the  Baptist  order.  Uncle  Robert 
was  no  less  so  among  the  Methodist. 

My  father's  brother,  James  Martindale,  settled  on  a 
farm  in  Wayne  county,  near  Washington,  where  he 
lived  until  his  death.  He  had  two  sons,  John  and 
William.  John  lived  on  a  farm  near  his  father.  He 
died  many  years  ago.  His  children  remain  in  the 
same  locality,  near  Washington,  Wayne  county, 
Indiana.  William,  the  other  son,  married  Mahala 
Stiggleman,  whom  he  deserted  and  went  to  the  Mor- 
mans,  and  became  a  great  apostle  in  expounding  that 
faith.  He  left  one  daughter  in  Indiana  when  he  went 
to  the  Mormans. 

My  father's  brother,  Moses  Martindale,  moved  to 
Eel  River  at  an  early  day.  His  sons  were  Jesse,  Will- 
iam, Charles,  Moses,  David  and  Thomas.  One  son, 
James,  died  unmarried.  His  daughters  were  Rachel, 
married  to  David  Ward;  Martha,  married  Benjamin 
Griffith ;  Mary,  died  single,  aged  20 ;  Hannah,  married 
Amos  Murphy;  Margaret,  married  John  Long;  Sarah, 

married  Brown;    Elizabeth,   married    Tolman 

Smith.  Children  of  Jesse  Martindale:  George  B., 
Jessie,  Chinweth,  Benjamin,  Ann,  Hannah.  Children 
of  William  Martindale:  Hannah  Abbott,  Jahu,  Charles, 
Martha  McCarty,  John,  Angeline,  William  and  Albert, 
deceased.    Children  of  Charles  Martindale:     Martha 


ELDER  ELIJAH  MARTINDALE.  119 

Bunch,  then  Barrett,  Mary  Boggus,  Amanda  Stock- 
berger,  Adaline  Howell,  then  Zeihner,  Charles,  Sarah 
Armentrout,  Catharine,  Rosa  Feister,  William.  Chil- 
dren of  Moses  Martindale :  Rev.  William  J.,  Anna 
Horton  (deceased),  George  A.,  and  Warren  B.,  an  at- 
torney of  Rochester,  Ind.  Children  of  David  Martin- 
dale  :  Nancy  J.  Cole,  Joseph,  Elizabeth  Trent,  Samuel, 
Nora  (deceased).  Children  of  Thomas  Martindale: 
Eliza  J.  Walker  and  Moses.  Children  of  Benjamin 
and  Martha  Grifhth :  Hazel,  William,  Moses,  Har- 
rison, Martha  (all  deceased),  Samuel,  and  Sarah  Guy 
(living).  Children  of  Daniel  and  Rachel  Ward: 
Moses,  William,  Levi,  David,  Sarah  Hix,  Ann  Brown. 
Children  of  Amos  and  Hannah  Murphy  :  John,  Will- 
iam, George,  Moses,  Mary  J.  Bahr  (living),  Milton, 
Charles,  Luther,  Wesley  (deceased).  Children  of  John 
and  Margaret  Long :  Ann  AVooley,  Charles,  Nancy 
Norris,  Amos,  Margaret  Norris,  John  W.,  and  William 
(deceased).  Children  of  Tolman  and  Elizabeth  Smith  : 
Martha  Voorhies,  Louis  and  James,  William  (died 
young). 

Gen.  John  H.  Martindale,  a  prominent  lawyer,  of 
Rochester,  N.  Y.,  was  a  distant  relative  of  Elijah  Mar- 
tindale, the  author  of  this  history.  He  was  appointed 
Brigadier-General  in  the  army,  and  commanded  a 
brigade  in  the  Virginia  Peninsular  campaign  in  1862. 
He  was  Military-Governor  of  the  District  of  Columbia 
from  1862  to  1864.  Then  he  joined  the  Eighteenth 
Corps  of  the  Army  of  the  James,  which  was  united  with 
the  army  of  the  Potomac.  He  fought  the  battles  of 
Cold  Harbor  and  Petersburg.  He  was  elected  Attorney- 
General  of  New  York  in  1866.  He  died  abroad,  in 
Dec.  13,1881.  Edward  Martindale,  a  prominent  lawyer 
in  New  York  City,  was  a  brother  of  Gen.  J.  H.  Martin- 
dale. 


120  PIONEER  HISTORY  OF 


PIONEER    HISTORY    CONNECTED    WITH 
THE  BOYD  FAMILY. 


CHAPTER  I. 

How  I  Obtained  My  History— Elizabeth  Martindale — 
She  Sends  Out  a  Missionary— Sufferings  of  the  Boyd 
Family  in  the  Revolutionary  War— Linn  Boyd  the 
Statesman— Samuel  Boyd,  His  Marriage  and  Emi- 
gration. 

The  author  of  the  history  I  am  about  to 
sketch  was  Elizabeth  Martindale,  wife  of 
Elijah  Martindale,  the  pioneer  preacher, 
whose  biograph}^  is  given  in  this  book.  She 
was  born  in  Madi&on  count}^,  Kentucky, 
1792.  It  was  owing  to  her  great  physicial 
strength  and  wonderful  industry  that  a  large 
family  of  fourteen  children  were  kept  above 
want,  and  educated  according  to  those  early 
times,  while  her  husband  went  forth  as  a 
herald  of  the  cross.  She  was  nearly  one 
year  his  senior,  3^et  owing  to  the  constitution 
she  inherited  from  her  sturdy  ancestors,  she 
outlived  him  nearly  ten  years.     During  the 


n 


.JJ^^JIl"'^^^ 


ELIZABETH  BOYD  MARTINDALE. 


THE  BOYD  FAMILY.  121 

last  seventeen  years  of  her  life  she  was  a 
cripple  from  a  rheumatic  affection,  and  was 
compelled  to  walk  on  crutches.  Although 
she  was  afflicted  and  bowed  down  with  the 
weight  of  so  many  years,  she  could  call  up 
the  incidents  of  her  early  life  and  relate  them 
with  a  precision  that  seemed  wonderful. 
She  departed  this  life  in  New  Castle,  Ind., 
June  3d,  1884.  She  was  the  daughter  of 
Samuel  and  Isabella  Boyd,  the  former  of 
Scotch-English,  and  the  latter  of  Irish  de- 
scent. 

James  Boyd,  the  father  of  Samuel  Boyd, 
was  a  Virginian  by  birth,  and  moved  to  South 
Carolina,  where  he  took  an  active  part  in  the 
struggle  of  the  colonies  to  gain  their  indepen- 
dence. He  was  unyielding  in  the  support  of 
the  war  of  the  revolution,  and  he  and  his 
family  suffered  severely  for  their  well  tried 
patriotism.  Twice  their  habitation  was 
burned  to  the  ground  by  the  Tories,  and  they 
were  left  without  shelter.  Before  the  dread- 
ful conflict  ceased,  he  was  slain  in  battle. 
Three  of  his  sons  fought  by  his  side,  John, 
Samuel  and  Abraham.  While  Samuel  was 
engaged  in  a  skirmish  the  company  was  cap- 
tured, and  he  was  left  for  dead,  a  ball  having 
passed    through  his    temple  taking    out   his 


122  PIONEER  HISTORY  OF 

right  e^^e.  When  he  had  hiin  sometime,  an 
old  colored  woman  came  along,  and  when 
she  saw  his  condition  she  concealed  him 
under  some  buslies  near  by,  then  brought 
him  some  food  and  took  care  of  him  until  he 
was  able  to  get  away.  Abraham,  the  young- 
est son,  who  enlisted  in  the  army,  was  then 
only  sixteen  years  of  age.  He  afterward  be- 
came the  father  of  Linn  Boyd,  the  great  Ken- 
tucky statesman,  who  was  elected  to  the  legis- 
ture  of  his  State  a  few  terms,  then  he  was  a 
member  of  Congress  for  eighteen  years,  and 
for  four  years  was  Speaker  of  the  House.  He 
was  a  farmer,  and  perhaps  the  secret  of  his 
popularity  was  that  he  kept  himself  on  a 
level  with  the  common  people.  He  was  a 
Democrat,  and,  like  Andrew  Jackson,  he  stood 
firmly  against  United  States  banks.  He  was 
in  Congress  when  Henry  Clay  brought  forth 
his  memorable  compromise  bill,  and  through 
Col.  Boyd's  influence  it  was  passed.  He  died 
Dec.  17,  1859. 

The  mother  of  Samuel  and  Abraham  Boyd, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Burns,  was  related 
by  birth  to  the  great  bard  of  Scotland. 
Samuel  Boyd  was  born  in  Virginia,  May  20, 
1763.  In  his  early  life,  he  with  his  father 
moved  to  South  Carolina,  where  they  enlisted 


THE  BOYD  FAMILY.  123 

in  the  army  of  the  revolution.  Having  to 
carry  through  all  his  subsequent  life  such 
marks  of  the  long  and  terrible  struggle  for 
independence  would  instill  patriotism  in  the 
minds  of  his  children,  hence,  they  imbibed 
in  early  childhood  a  deep  and  abiding  hatred 
to  the  name  Tory,  as  the  royalists  was  called. 
Isabella,  wife  of  Samuel  Boyd,  was  born  in 
South  Carolina,  Feb.  13,  1764.  Her  father. 
John  Higgins,  was  a  native  of  Ireland.  Her 
mother's  name  was  Elizabeth  Campbell. 
She  also  was  of  Irish  descent.  Samuel  Boyd 
and  Isabella  Higgins  were  married  in  1785. 
She  was  named  in  honor  of  the  queen  of 
Spain,  and  also,  had  the  honor  of  being  es- 
corted by  Andrew  Jackson  in  her  youthful 
days.  Her  love  settled  upon  the  one-eyed 
soldier  of  the  revolution,  who  was  an  honest 
farmer,  and  afterward  became  a  faithful 
pioneer  preacher.  They  first  became  mem- 
bers of  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  after- 
ward joined  the  Newlights.  It  was  favor- 
able for  their  vast  progeny  that  they  were 
inclined  to  go  westward  and  seek  more  pro- 
ductive soil.  -Soon  after  their  marriage, 
they  moved  to  Tennessee  and  settled  in  a 
cabin  home.  While  living  here,  a  great 
shadow  fell  across  their  pathway. 


124  PIONEER  HISTORY  OF 

One  of  Isabella's  cousins  in  Carolina  mar- 
ried a  somewhat  wealthy  man  and  they  ar- 
ranged to  visit  their  cousin  in  her  new  home 
in  Tennessee.  The  road  they  were  to  travel 
was  hilly,  or  rather  mountainous,  and  unfre- 
quented. At  that  time  the  only  mode  of  trav- 
eling was  on  horseback.  They  made  their 
visit,  but  soon  after  they  set  out  on  their  re- 
turn voyage,  they  were  murdered  and  their 
bodies  left  lying  in  the  forest.  Their  saddles 
were  left  lying  beside  them,  but  they  had  been 
robbed  and  their  horses  were  taken.  This 
left  a  sad  memory  on  the  minds  of  the  youth- 
ful pioneers.  They  moved  from  Tennessee 
and  settled  in  Madison  county,  Kentucky. 

Samuel  Boyd  was  a  large  and  somewhat 
corpulent  man  with  ruddy  face  and  dark  haij 
before  it  was  silvered  with  age.  The  loss  of 
his  eye  was  a  great  deformity  to  his  person  as 
he  never  tried  to  conceal  the  blemish  by 
shades  or  any  kind  of  glasses.  I  can't  say 
they  were  not  in  use  for  I  think  it  was  just 
about  this  time,  or  earlier,  that  Goldsmith  rep- 
resents the  hopeful  son  of  the  vicar  of  Wakefield 
as  making  sale  of  the  family  nag  and  buying 
a  whole  gross  of  green  spectacles.  Anyway 
my  grandfather  chose  to  wear  a  patch  of  black 
silk  over  the  empty  socket  and  the  last  time 


THP:  BOYD  FAMILY.  125 

I  sat  on  his  knee  and  was  bearded  by  his 
kisses  I  thought  he  was  awful  sweet,  but 
still  I  didn't  like  the  looks  of  that  eye. 

Oh,  I  wish  we  had  a  cycloraraic  view  of 
those  wounded,  starving,  bleeding-feeted 
soldiers  marching  over  the  frozen  ground 
bowed  down  with  disaster  and  defeat,  yet 
willing  to  die  in  the  last  ditch  to  purchase  a 
land  of  freedom. 

In  view  of  all  this,  will  we  surrender  our 
rights  as  citizens  of  this  great  commonwealth 
and  allow  our  country  so  dearly  bought  to  be 
ruled  by  monopolists  and  millionaires?  Will 
we  allow  corruption,  fraud,  sham  and  boodle 
to  take  the  place  of  an  honest  election?  What 
worse  chains  could  England  have  forged  for 
us? 


126  PIONEER  HISTORY  OF 


CHAPTER  11. 

HISTORY    OF    SAMUEL    BOYD    AND    FAMILY.    * 

The  author  of  my  history  says  that  when 
she  was  seven  years  old  her  parents  moved 
from  Madison  county,  Kentucky,  to  a  place 
on  the  Cumberland  river  called  ' '  Horseshoe 
Bend."  Here  they  were  surrounded  by  hills 
and  ravines  and  what  was  worse,  the  country 
school-house  w^as  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river  and  several  families  living  in  the 
Bend  must  ply  a  canoe  to  gain  access  to  the 
school.  After  remaining  therg  awhile  they 
moved  to  Adair  county,  which  was  then  a 
wilderness  part  of  Kentucky;  though  many 
fields  had  been  prepared  for  cultivation  and 
the  owners  finding  their  titles  were  not  good 
had  abandoned  them  and  they  were  all  grown 
up  in  underbrush.  Some  orchards,  too,  had 
been  planted  and  produced  seedling  fruit. 
About  this  time  the  great  Kentucky  revival 
reached  this  part  of  the  state,  and  Samuel 
Boyd's  house  was  one  great  center  for  the 
meetings. 


THE  BOYD  FAMILY.  127 

B.  W.  Stone,  Wm.  Kincade,  the  Dooly '?> 
and  Purviance  all  came  frequently  to  hold 
meetings.  Samuel  Boyd  commenced  the 
work  of  exhortation  and  soon  became  an 
earnest  minister  of  the  Gospel,  and  what  is 
most  worth  recording,  he  made  his  life  corre- 
spond to  his  profession,  striving  to  do  unto 
others  as  he  would  have  them  do  unto  him. 

Many  incidents  transpired  here  worthy  of 
record.  One  was  the  death  of  a  faithful  old 
negro  slave  who  had  fallen  to  Samuel  Boyd 
from  his  ancestors.  He  tenderly  cared  for 
her  in  her  old  age,  and  when  the  icy  hand  of 
death  was  laid  upon  her,  they  sadly  mourned 
as  though  she  had  been  one  of  the  dearest  in- 
mates of  the  home.  During  her  life  no 
greater  grief  could  come  to  her  than  to  hear  a 
word  said  about  setting  her  free.  She  was 
not  really  a  slave;  she  was  simply  a  part  of 
the  family  circle.  Indeed,  slavery  had  no 
horrid  features  in  Kentucky  at  tliat  time. 
The  people  were  partly  of  the  old  New  En- 
gland stock  who  repelled  the  institution;  yet 
the  leprous  germ  was  there;  the  buds  were 
being  nurtured  that  would  produce  the  great 
Upas  tree  with  all  its  bitter  fruits. 

In  the  year  1811,  Samuel  Boyd  learned 
that  valuable  land  had  come  into  market  in 


128  PIONEER  HISTORY  OF 

the  territory  of  Indiana.  Although  there 
were  no  speculative  agents  to  give  a  glowing 
description  of  the  country,  yet  it  became  a 
well  known  fact  that  Indiana  possessed  broad 
acres  of  well  timbered  land,  the  most  fertile 
to  be  found.  Samuel  Boyd  by  this  time,  like 
Abraham  of  old,  was  blest  with  flocks  and 
herds,  and  was  able  to  live  comfortably,  yet 
his  acres  were  not  sufficient  for  his  large 
family.  Having  disposed  of  land  and  stock 
partly,  with  a  family  of  nine  children,  several 
of  them  making  the  journey  in  equestrian 
style,  they  took  up  the  march  for  Indiana. 
After  the  monotony  of  nearl}^  one  week's 
travel,  being  hindered  by  the  driving  of  some" 
stock,  and  making  a  short  stay  in  Cincinnati, 
they  arrived  near  where  the  town  of  Eaton 
now  stands.  Two  families,  the  Taylors  and 
Irwins,  had  emigrated  from  Kentucky  a  short 
time  before,  and  were  located  at  this  point. 
Mr.  Boyd, made  selection  of  land  near  where 
Jacksonburg  now  stands,  and  proceeded  to 
build  a  cabin,  but  before  it  was  finished  the 
Indians  had  become  so  exasperated  that  they 
began  making  attacks  on  the  defenseless 
settlers  along  the  frontier. 

The  origin  of    the    Indian    troubles  dated 
back  more  than  a  year,  when  Gov.  Harrison 


THE  BOYD  FAMILY.  129 

had  made  a  treaty  with  several  tribes  by  which 
they  had  ceded  to  him  a  hirge  body  of  land 
along  the  Wabash  river.  Tecumseli,  chief 
of  the  Shawnee  tribe,  took  advantage  of  the 
case,  showing  how  they  had  forfeited  their 
rich  hunting  grounds,  and  thus  excited  them 
to  a  feeling  of  revenge.  He  tried  to  form  an 
alliance  of  all  the  w^estern  tribes  against  the 
whites.  Governor  Harrison,  after  trying  in 
vain  to  treat  w^ith  Tecumseh,  met  him  in 
hostile  array  and  a  decisive  battle  was  fought 
at  Tippecanoe,  Oct.  7,  1811 .  The  Indians 
were  repulsed  and  defeated,  but  Tecumseh 
escaped  and  joined  the  British  forces  in  the 
war  of  1812,  and  was  promoted  to  brigadier- 
general,  leading  the  Indian  troops. 

Dangers  to  the  frontier  settlers  were  great- 
ly increased  by  the  inauguration  of  a  second 
war  with  Great  Britian.  The  Indians  hav- 
ing a  grievance,  on  account  of  being  dispos- 
sessed of  their  lands,  could  easily  be  enlisted 
to  commit  depredations  against  white  settlers. 
So  there  was  no  security  of  safety  to  the 
emigrants  who  attempted  to  make  a  home  in 
the  dense  forest  that  comprised  the  vast  ter- 
ritory of  the  Wabash  valley. 

The  Boyd  family  had  been  living  a  kind 
of  a  camp  life  until  their  cabin  would  be 
9 


130  PI(3NEER  HISTORY  OF 

ready  to  move  into,  and  now  the  alarm  was 
given  that  the  Indians  had  become  furious 
and  were  constantly  on  the  war-path,  ready 
for  depredations.  They  were  far  out  on  the 
frontier,  only  two  or  three  settlers  near  them. 
Those  few  met  together  and  agreed  to  build  a 
fort  by  which  their  families  might  be  pro- 
tected until  the  Indians  should  become  peace- 
able. 

They  cut  down  small  trees  and  split  them 
in  tw^o  parts  and  planted  them  in  the  ground 
until  they  inclosed  half  an  acre.  AVithin 
this  inclosure  some  rude  shanties  were  built, 
the  fort  wall  forming  one  side  of  the  shanty 
though  some  had  tents.  The  worst  feature 
was  there  were  no  guards  sufficient  to  defend 
the  fort  against  an  attack  of  the  Indians,  as 
they  generally  went  in  gangs. 

The  inmates  of  the  fort  were  sometimes 
aroused  from  their  slumbers,  perhaps  by  cat- 
tle beating  against  the  wall,  and  they  felt 
sure  the  Indians  had  come.  The  only  hope 
was  in  making  a  pretense  of  numbers,  so 
one  assumed  command  as  general,  and  or- 
dered forty  on  one  side  and  forty  on  another^ 
when  perhaps  there  was  not  more  than  a 
half  dozen  men  in  the  fort. 

The    families    feeling    that   there    was    no 


THE  BOYD  FAMILY.  131 

safety  there,  left  the  fort  one  by  one  and 
went  back  near  where  Richmond  now  stands, 
where  there  were  more  white  settlers  and 
they  would  not  be  so  liable  to  an  attack  of 
the  Indians.  The  Boyd  family  stayed  at  the 
fort  the  longest,  but  they  finally  gave  it  up 
and  went  back  to  the  settlement.  Indeed 
they  moved  back  and  forth  a  number  of 
times  before  they  could  feel  that  they  were 
safe  so  far  out  on  the  frontier. 

Elizabeth  remembered  one  day,  when  the 
men  were  all  gone  from  the  fort,  she  was  sit- 
ting spinning,  and  as  she  happened  to  look  at 
an  aperture  in  the  outer  wall,  she  saw  the 
glaring  eyes  of  an  Indian  who  looked  to  be 
furiously  bent  on  knowing  just  what  was  in 
the  fort.  Her  heart  beat  to  a  palpitation. 
She  spun  awhile  longer,  then  remembering 
the  guns  were  lying  there  loaded,  she  said  to 
another  young  woman  who  was  in  the  fort, 
"Let  us  take  a  gun  apiece  and  go  out." 
They  were  in  such  suspense  they  wanted  to 
know  whether  the  Indians  were  preparing  to 
massacre  the  few  helpless  inmates,  or  whether 
they  were  gone.  They  saw  no  trace  of  the 
Indians,  but  horses  were  stolen  in  the  settle- 
ment near  Richmond  that  night. 

The  face  of  the  red  man  even  in  time  of 


132  PIONEER  HISTORY  OF 

peace  would  send  a  thrill  of  terror  to  the 
heart  of  those  unaccustomed  to  the  sight; 
hut  when  their  savage  nature  was  aroused, 
and  every  other  feeling  had  given  way  to  re- 
venge; when  they  were  daily  in  search  of 
some  poor  white  emigrant  that  might  fall  a 
victim  to  their  scalping  knife,  then  the  sight 
was  terrible  indeed. 

One  prominent  trait  in  the  character  of  the 
Boyd  family  was  industry.  Among  all  the 
fearful  dangers  to  which  they  were  exposed, 
they  proceeded  to  cut  away  the  forest  and 
prepare  for  planting  a  field.  The  work  of 
the  household,  including  spinning  and  weav- 
ing, was  carried  on  with  a  bravery  that  now 
seems  incredible.  There  was  no  cabin  or 
shelter  in  the  fort  large  enough  to  contain  the 
loom,  so  it  was  taken  to  the  new  cabin  that 
had  been  abandoned  to  seek  shelter  in  the 
fort.  Elizabeth  and  a  younger  sister,  Polly, 
went  daily  through  the  woods  about  a  mile 
away  to  weave.  She  made  a  very  romantic 
journey  in  trying  to  prepare  the  web  for  the 
loom.  She  had  no  warping  mills  or  bars,  so 
she  and  another  young  woman  living  in  the 
family  went  to  the  nearest  neighbor,  about 
seven  miles  away,  to  warp;  and  when  they 
arrived  the  bars  were   in  use  and  they  had  to 


THE  BOYD  FAMILY.  13;^ 

wait.  When  they  finished  their  web  and 
were  ready  to  start  home  it  was  some  time  in 
the  night.  If  they  were  to  stay  all  night 
their  parents  would  think  the  Indians  had 
captured  them,  so  they  mounted  their  fast 
horses  and  with  a  full  determination  to  out- 
run the  Indians  if  any  came  in  their  way, 
they  set  out  for  home.  Elizabeth  could  look 
back  through  the  subsequent  years  of  her 
life  and  see  that  she  was  guarded  by  a  Provi- 
dential care  through  all  these  dangers  to  which 
she  was  daily  exposed. 

A  few  months  after  the  circumstances  I 
have  just  related,  there  was  a  murder  com- 
mitted that  sent  grief  and  terror  to  the  hearts 
of  all  the  settlers  on  the  frontier.  John 
Shortridge,  a  very  respectable  and  industrious 
young  man,  residing  in  Drury's  fort,  a  few 
miles  south  of  where  the  Boyd  family  was 
stationed,  was  shot  while  out  on  horseback 
looking  after  some  cattle.  It  was  said  that 
he  wore  an  overcoat  resembling  one  worn  by 
a  certain  George  Ish  against  whom  the  In- 
dians held  a  deadly  spite  and  that  they  took 
aim  at  him  by  mistake,  but  the  facts  in  the 
case  were  not  known.  John  Shortridge  was 
a  brother  of  Elisha  Shortridge  who  be<?ame  a 
minister  and  resided  manv   vears   in   Dudlv 


134  PIONEER  HISTORY  OF 

township,  Henry  county.  After  the  fear  and 
terror  occasioned  by  the  murder  of  Shortridge 
had  subsided  there  was  an  interval  of  peace 
and  several  families  had  settled  on  lands  and 
begun  to  think  they  were  safe  in  their  cabin 
homes;  but  the  Indians  were  still  lurking 
about  and  if  their  savage  nature  was  once 
aroused  against  an  individual  they  never 
failed  to  seek  revenge. 

There  was  one  Charles  Morgan^  living  on 
the  Walnut  Level  frontier,  who  was  always 
on  bad  terms  with  the  Indians.  He  had  been 
so  long  accustomed  to  seeing  them  that  he 
didn't  seem  to  realize  how  much  he  was  at 
their  mercy,  and  that  in  provoking  them  he 
jeopardized  not  only  his  own  life,  but  also 
the  lives  of  others.  After  times  were  thought 
to  be  better,  he  and  his  two  half  brothers,  the 
Beesley  boys,  were  tending  their  sugar  camp 
at  night  and  were  surprised  by  a  gang  of 
Indians,  who  could  see  by  the  firelight  how  to 
take  a  deadly  aim.  The  Beesle}^  boys  were 
standing  near  the  kettles  when  they  fell,  and 
one  falling  into  the  fire  was  partly  consumed. 
Morgan  was  lying  down  asleep,  so  the}^  dis- 
patched him  with  their  tomahawks. 

Jonathan  Shaw,  long  a  resident  of  Wayne 
county,  was  then  on  the  wild  frontier,  and 


THE  BOYD  FAMILY.  135 

was  tending  a  sugar  camp  close  by.  He  was 
sitting  by  his  kettles  making  a  split-broom 
when  he  heard  the  firing  of  the  guns,  and 
looking  at  the  Morgan  camp  he  saw  the 
Indians  doing  their  bloody  work.  He  con- 
cealed himself  a  moment  behind  a  tree,  then 
remembering  his  helpless  family  in  the  cabin, 
he  started  with  lightning  speed  to  see  if  they 
were  safe.  He  collected  another  family  living 
near  and  his  own  in  one  cabin,  barred  the 
doors  and  with  loaded  guns  kept  watch  until 
morning  light.  But  the  Indians  fled  after 
committing  the  murder  at  the  Morgan  camp. 
This  terrible  tragedy  happened  about  eighty 
rods  north  of  Walnut  Station.  The  beam 
and  trammels  where  the  kettles  hung  re- 
mained for  a  number  of  years,  no  one  having 
occasion  to  remove  them.  They  seemed  to 
be  a  sad  memorial  of  by-gone  days. 


136  PIONEER  HISTORY  OF 


CHAPTER  III. 

Peace  Established— The  Indians  Driven  AVest — No 
Missionaries— Pioneer  Preachers  Go  Among  Them — 
A  Great  Tragedy  in  an  Indian  Hut— The  Preach- 
ers Blown  up  by  Gunpowder  —  Death  of  Samuel 
Boyd. 

The  second  war  with  Great  Britain  was  now 
brought  to  a  close;  the  clash  of  arms  ceased 
to  resound;  the  Indians  after  awhile  forgot 
their  grievances  and  peace  like  a  gentle  dove 
seemed  to  brood  over  our  land  spreading  its 
halcyon  wings  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pa- 
cific shores.  The  tide  of  emigration  rapidly 
increased  and  soon  the  white  man  was  sole 
possessor  of  the  forest  homes  that  had  so  long 
been  made  to  resound  to  the  echoing  call  of 
the  Indian  hunter.  Offerings  of  gratitude 
went  up  from  many  hearts  for  the  blessings 
of  peace,  but  while  the  Indians  were  reced- 
ing to  the  homes  appointed  for  them  farther 
west,  it  seemed  apparent  to  every  Christian 
mind  that  we  had  neglected  to  teach  them  or 
help  them  in  any  way  to  become  a  civilized 
or  enlightened  race. 


THE  BOYD  FAMILY.  137 

Up  to  this  time  there  never  had  a  mission- 
ary set  foot  on  the  soil  of  Indiana,  except 
some  Jesuit  priests  at  a  very  early  day,  and  they 
reported  most  of  the  tribes  very  teachable. 
The  Miamis  were  the  most  warlike  at  that 
time  and  it  would  have  been  hard  to  make 
any  impression  on  their  minds.  After  the 
western  tribes  had  become  peaceable  and  were 
located  in  villages  to  themselves  and  had  be- 
come acquainted  with  our  language,  many  of 
the  early  pioneer  preachers  of  Indiana  went 
and  labored  among  them  and  were  successful 
in  implanting  Bible  truths  in  their  minds 
and  hearts. 

One  of  the  most  faithful  and  active  in  this 
work  was  Samuel  Boyd.  He  had  a  number 
of  preaching  places  among  the  Indians.  One 
point  where  he  went  repeatedly  was  an  In- 
dian village  called  Strawtown  and  was  near 
about  where  the  town  of  Alexandria  now 
stands.  The  Indians  greeted  him  with  warm 
hearts  and  listened  while  he  tried  to  expound 

to  them  the  wav  of  life.      One  of  his  visits  ta 

* 

this  point  was  attended  by  a  scene  somewhat 
tragical  in  its  results  and  left  a  sad  remi- 
niscence on  the  minds  of  all  who  escaped. 
He  and  another  preacher  named  Logan  had 
ridden  many  miles  to   reach  this   point  and 


138  PIONEER  HISTORY  OF 

were  resting  in  one  of  the  Indian  huts  until 
dinner  was  prepared  for  them.  The  Indian 
children  were  playing  near  where  a  keg  of 
powder  was  sitting.  One  of  them  unnoticed 
touched  a  stick  to  the  fire  and  then  to  the 
powder.  A  terrific  explosion  followed;  the 
hut  was  partly  demolished  and  the  children 
were  all  killed.  The  ministers  escaped  being 
killed,  no  one  hardly  knew  how.  Boyd  had 
Iain  down  on  a  cot  and  it  whirled  upside 
down  and  was  set  on  fire.  He  was  too  much 
stunned  to  extricate  himself,  and  before  any 
one  could  help  him  he  was  badly  burned,  es- 
pecially his  feet. 

To  many  it  might  seem  a  vain  delusion  to 
undertake  the  work  of  teaching  those  rude 
savages,  who  seem  happier  in  roaming  the 
wild  forests  than  they  would  to  dwell  in  mar- 
ble halls  or  kingly  palaces,  yet  their  natures 
could  have  been  changed  by  cultivation,  and 
if  there  had  been  more  sacrifice  made  at  that 
^arly  day  to  christianize  them,  and  especially 
to  teach  them  the  arts  of  civilization,  it  woukl 
have  saved  our  country  from  the  swarms  of 
Indians,  who  are  living  in  idleness  to-day 
and  making  constant  draughts  on  the  public 
treasury. 

Samuel  Bovd  had  a  heart  that  went  out  in 


THE  BOYD  FAMILY.  139 

love  for  all  mankind.  He  was  willing  to  go 
wherever  duty  called  him.  No  work  seemed 
too  humble  for  his  hands  to  do.  Seemingly 
in  the  midst  of  his  useful  labors  he  was  called 
away  from  the  shores  of  time.  Being  ex- 
posed to  a  shower  of  rain,  he  took  a  severe 
cold,  which  settled  in  asthma,  and  he  died 
sitting  in  his  chair  Nov.  27,  1835,  at  the  age 
of  seventy-two  years.  He  was  not  permitted 
to  see  any  great  results  of  his  labors,  yet  no 
doubt  it  was  as  bread  cast  upon  the  waters, 
w^hich  shall  be  gathered  up  many  days  hence. 

His  work  was  of  a  humble  nature,  trying 
to  lift  up  fallen  humanity  and  bring  the 
wandering  ones  to  the  great  Shepherd's  fold, 
and  to  such  the  prophet  has  said,  "They  that 
turn  many  to  righteousness  shall  shine  as  the 
stars  forever  and  ever." 

When  Samuel  Boyd  moved  to  Indiana,  he 
he  had  five  sons.  Robert,  the  youngest,  was 
thirteen  years  old.  James,  John,  William 
and  Samuel  were  stalwart  young  men,  with 
the  exception  of  a  rheumatic  affection  which 
seemed  to  be  a  family  disease.  He  also  had 
four  daughters.  All  of  them  settled  on  farms 
in  Wayne  and  Henry  counties,  and  all  ex- 
cept Isabel,  the  youngest  daughter,  lived  and 
died  in    those  counties,    and    most  of    them 


140  PIONEER  HISTORY  OF 

were  buried  at  the  old  Jacksonburg  cemetery. 
When  Mrs.  Edna  Swiggett,  of  Indianapolis, 
daughter  of  John  and  Caroline  Smith,  and 
granddaughter  of  Abiram  Boyd,  visits  that 
old  burying  ground,  she  can  stand  by  the 
headstones  of  three  generations  of  grand- 
fathers. 

It  was  the  custom  of  Samuel  Boyd,  the  old 
patriarch,  for  some  years  before  his  death,  to 
make  an  annual  feast,  usually  in  the  month 
of  August,  and  call  together  all  his  children 
and  grandchildren.  The  number  at  the  last 
gathering  was  about  eighty,  but  at  this  time 
his  posterity  would  be  almost  like  the  sand 
on  the  sea  shore,  innumberable.  The  Boyd 
family  have  held  some  reunions  more  recent- 
ly, but  they  are  too  much  scattered  ever  to 
make  Wayne  county  a  place  of  rendezvous 
again.  They  would  have  to  come  from  the 
east  and  from  the  west,  from  the  north  and 
from  the  south;  then  it  would  merely  be  a 
gathering  of  strange  faces. 


THE  MARTINDALE  FAMILY.  141 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THP:    MARTINDALE    FAMILY. 

Elizabeth  Boyd  became  the  wife  of  Elijah 
Martindale,  October  12,  1815.  They  resided 
on  a  little  farm  they  had  purchased  on 
the  Walnut  Level,  until  the  spring  of  1832, 
at  which  time  they  moved  to  Henry  county, 
bringing  with  them  eleven  children.  They 
settled  on  Flatrock,  having  purchased  the 
land  now  owned  by  J.  C.  Peed.  When  they 
landed  they  moved  into  a  little  hut  on  the 
bank  of  the  creek  until  the  new  double  cabin 
would  be  finished.  There  was  a  field  of  six 
acres  almost  ready  for  the  plow  which  w^as 
planted  that  year  and  produced  a  good  crop 
of  corn  and  other  vegetables.  That  summer 
will  long  be  remembered  on  account  of  chol- 
era, which  swept  over  the  land  taking  away  so 
many  good  citizens  of  Henry  county.  Other 
diseases  seemed  to  follow,  especially  fevers 
were  prevalent  later  in  the  season. 

Among  the  most  prominent  of  our  neigh- 
bors at  that  early  day  was  Josiah  Clawson, 


142  PIONEER  HISTORY  OF 

the  father  of  Mrs.  Fidelia  Wayman  and 
Thomas  N.  Clawson,  of  New  Castle,  and 
James  Clawson  of  Springport.  He  pur- 
chased the  home  in  the  woods  west  of  the 
Martindale  place,  where  Jesse  Nichelson  now 
lives.  We  verily  thought  Aunt  Phebe  Claw- 
son  was  indispensable  when  sickness  visited 
us.  Indeed  those  early  pioneers  knew  how 
to  lend  each  other  a  helping  hand,  not  only 
when  the  logs  were  to  be  rolled,  or  the  cabin 
raised,  but  in  other  times  of  need,  they  re- 
sponded with  substantial  aid. 

True  friendship  seemed  to  exist  in  those 
early  times,  partly  from  the  fact  that  they 
were  dependent  upon  each  other,  but  more 
especially  on  account  that  they  were  all  shar- 
ing the  privations  and  hardships  incident  to 
a  new  country. 

A  number  of  families  moved  into  the 
neighborhood  and  took  homes  in  the  woods 
about  this  time,  so  it  became  an  imperative 
duty  to  build  a  school-house.  Enos  Bond, 
who  had  moved  from  Wayne  county,  and 
settled  on  land  centerable,  donated  a  lot. 
The  neighbors  met  and  prepared  the  logs 
and  constructed  a  cabin  with  a  huge 
fire-place.  Oh,  that  old  log  school-house! 
there  was   a    grandeur    about   it  left    in    my 


THE  MARTINDALE  FAMILY.  14,^ 

memory  I  never  can  describe.  All  the  ten- 
der buds  of  hope  belonging  to  that  wild  re- 
gion met  there.  They  knew  nothing  of  the 
world  beyond  this  center.  To  gain  the  head 
of  the  spelling-class  was  to  them  the  cardinal 
point  of  human  happiness.  Fragrant  in  my 
memory  to-day  are  those  scenes  long  van- 
ished. Time  has  rolled  on  like  a  ceaseless 
river,  and  borne  away  with  its  mighty  cur- 
rent most  of  that  band  who  met  there  so  full 
of  joy  and  hope. 

The  first  teacher  that  was  hired,  when  the 
house  was  completed,  was  Elder  Elijah  Mar- 
tindale,  the  only  applicant.  He  was  paid  the 
sum  of  $32  for  the  entire  term.  It  was  the 
only  school  he  ever  taught,  and  I  believe  he 
accepted  that  winter  in  a  case  of  emergency, 
as  teachers  were  hard  to  get  at  that  time. 

This  same  log  school-house  was  used  for 
the  meetings  of  the  Christian  church  Avhich 
was  organized  at  a  very  early  da3^  The  fam- 
ilies of  Corwine,  Clift  and  Thornton  moved  to 
this  neighborhood  from  Kentucky,  having 
seceded  from  the  Baptists  and  joined  the 
Christian  or  Disciples'  church.  Martindale 
and  Corwine  exercised  their  talent  in  the 
ministry,  the  former  being  wonderfully  gifted 
in    exhortation,    and  his  Christian  zeal  was 


144  PIONEER  HISTORY  OF 

made  manifest  in  all  his  deliverances,  both  to 
try  to  enlighten  the  understanding  and  to  ex- 
hort men  to  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come. 

During  the  fall  of  1833  Elijah  Martindale 
was  attacked  with  a  very  severe  form  of  bil- 
ious fever.  He  grew  worse  until  all  hopes  of 
his  recovery  were  given  up.  While  he  was  lying 
unconscious,  seeming  evidently  approaching 
the  hour  of  dissolution,  two  devoted  Christian 
ministers  named  Wilson  were  sent  for.  When 
they  came  they  annointed  him  with  oil  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord  and  offered  fervent  prayer 
at  his  bedside,  after  which  they  united  their 
melodious  voices  in  singing  a  rapturous  strain 
describing  the  music  of  the  angels  when  they 
announced  to  the  shepherds  the  birth  of 
Christ.  While  they  were  singing  he  became 
conscious.  The  crisis  in  the  disease  dated 
from  that  hour,  and  he  began  to  recover  and 
in  time  was  restored  to  health.  I  am  not 
calling  loudly  upon  a  skeptical  world  to  'be- 
lieve in  miracles.  All  I  can  say  is  that  this 
happened  just  as  I  have  related  it.  It  seemed 
to  be  an  example  of  what  the  Apostle  James 
meant  when  he  said  the  prayer  of  faith  shall 
save  the  sick  and  the  Lord  shall  raise  him 
up;  yet  I  don't  know  that  the  Apostle  intend- 
ed anv  miracle. 


THE  MARTINDALE  FAMILY.  145 

It  would  seem  to  persons  who  share  the 
luxuries  of  more  modern  times  that  such  a 
family,  located  almost  in  the  woods,  was  des- 
tined to  suffer  want.  Yet  such  was  not  the 
case.  There  never  was  a  family  of  bees  put 
into  a  hive  that  was  more  active  and  indus- 
trious than  the  older  children  of  the  Martin- 
dale  family.  Nearly  all  the  work  of  clearing 
the  woods  and  cultivating  the  fields  devolved 
upon  three  boys  not  near  grown.  J.  N. 
Martindale,  now  living  in  Hancock  county, 
took  the  lead  in  that  work.  He  has  ever 
since  followed  the  avocation  of  farming,  and 
has  amassed  considerable  wealth,  chiefly  by 
the  sweat  of  his  brow.  S.  P.  Martindale 
lives  in  Tipton,  where  he  has  followed  mer- 
cantile business  for  some  years  past.  B.  F. 
Martindale,  the  youngest  of  the  three,  had 
been  farming  lands  in  Missouri  for  some 
time  before  his  death,  which  occurred  October 
22,  1876.  He  was  gifted  with  powers  by 
which  he  could  have  became  efficient  in  the 
Christian  ministry,  a  calling  to  which  he  de- 
voted himself  for  a  time,  but  abandoned  it 
for  the  reason  it  didn't  meet  the  demands 
of  his  helpless  family.  To  the  eleven 
children  born  in  Wayne  county,  three 
more  were  added,  Robert  A.,  now  living  in 
10 


146  PIONEER  HISTORY  OF 

Hartford  City;   Lizzie,   who  married  Luther 
Hennigh  and  died    in    the    year    1882,    and 
James    B.,  the  youngest,  who  now  lives   in 
Chicago,  and  is  publishing  a  law  directory. 
Of   the  group  of  five  younger  boys,  Elijah 

B.  was  the  oldest,  and  became  superintendent 
of  the  farm  work  after  the  first  trio  that  I 
have  mentioned  were  married  and  gone. 
He  had  an  extraordinary  business  talent 
which  seemed  to  develop  itself  very  early  in 
life.  He  is  now  a  resident  of  Indianapolis, 
where  he  has  dealt  largely  in  real  estate,  be- 
ing at  one  time  proprietor  of  the  Indianapolis 
Journal,  and  owning  some  of  the  finest  resi- 
dences in  the  city.  He  is  now  National 
Commissioner  of  the  World's  Fair.      Simeon 

C,  the  next  in  years,  is  an  attorney  in  An- 
derson, where  he  stands  uppermost  in  the 
scale  of  moral  honesty.  William  S.,  the  next, 
was  the  baby  when  the  family  moved  to  Henry 
county.  Jle  married  Ruth  Shawhan,  who 
died  of  consumption  in  the  year  1865,  leav- 
ing one  daughter,  Emma,  who  married 
Howard  Higdon,  with  whom  he  now  makes 
his  home. 

There  was  one  great  oversight  or  neglect 
in  the  work  of  preparing  that  large  family  of 
eight  boys  to  go  forth  into  the   world  and  be 


THE  MARTINDALE  FAMILY.  147 

able  to  assume  all  the  duties  and  responsibili- 
ties of  married  life.  Several  of  them  should 
have  learned  good  trades.  E.  B.  Martindale 
saw  the  importance  of  that  before  he  left  the 
farm,  and  went  and  apprenticed  himself  to 
John  Taylor,  now  his  father-in-law,  and  be- 
came a  good  saddle  and  harness  maker.  In 
that  he  mistook  his  calling,  as  he  had  a 
quality  of  brain  that  made  him  able  to  com- 
pete with  the  world  a  thousand  times  better 
in  some  avocation  that  called  his  mental  powers 
into  action. 

"Man  know  thyself"  is  an  injunction  that 
has  become  proverbial,  and  applies  with 
equal  force  to  parents  in  regard  to  their 
children,  that  is,  know  what  their  talent  is 
and  which  way  it  should  be  directed.  It  is 
far  better  to  be  a  good  carpenter  or  a  good 
blacksmith  than  to  be  a  failure  in  some  lofty 
profession. 

Nearly  all  the  clothing  worn  in  the  Mar- 
tindale family  at  that  early  day  was  manu- 
factured at  home.  Usually  in  the  spring, 
the  flax  stalks  in  the  mow  contained  in  em- 
bryo the  summer  clothing  to  be  worn.  It 
had  been  spread  out  and  watered  so  as  to  sep- 
arate the  lint  from  the  stalk.  Then  muscu- 
lar power  was   applied  to  a   flax-break,  a  ma- 


148  PIONEER  HISTORY  OF 

chine  resting  upon  legs  with  an  upper  part 
hinged  on  and  made  so  as  to  crush  the  flax 
and  break  the  stalks  between  the  two  pieces. 
Next  came  the  beating  out  the  shives,  a  pro- 
cess with  which  I  was  quite  familiar  at  that 
time  but  hard  now  to  describe.  It  was  done 
by  putting  a  handful  of  flax  across  the  top  of 
a  board  one  end  of  which  was  sharpened 
and  driven  into  the  ground,  then  a  smooth 
paddle  was  used  to  beat  out  the  shives. 
Then  the  flax  was  hackled,  or  drawn  through 
an  instrument  with  iron  teeth,  until  it  was 
nice  and  smooth,  then  wound  on  the  distaff 
and  spun.  It  was  often  made  into  fine  beau- 
tiful linen.  This  manner  of  manufacturing 
home  spun  clothing  was  not  peculiar  to  any 
section  of  our  country.  It  was  a  process  com- 
mon to  all  the  States. 

It  seems  strange  to-day  how  such  large 
families  as  most  of  them  were  in  those  days 
could  be  kept  clothed  on  such  little  outlay, 
yet  the  secret  was  plenty  of  industry  ap- 
plied to  the  raw  material.  The  wool  on  the 
sheep's  back  was  an  unfailing  source  for 
winter  clothing.  The  contents  of  the  pocket 
book  only  had  to  meet  the  carding  bill  and 
the  dyes  for  coloring. 

In  the  Martindale  family  sometimes  three 


THE  MARTINDALE  FAMILY.  149 

wheels  and  often  two  looms  were  kept  going 
a  good  part  of  the  year.  Linens  were  ex- 
changed for  Sunday  clothing. 

In  this  chapter  I  have  mentioned  every  one 
of  that  band  of  fourteen  children  except  five 
girls.  Matilda,  the  first  born,  married  Al- 
fred Rulon,  and  they  have  both  passed  away 
leaving  three  daughters,  all  of  whom  are  now 
in  the  west.  Margaret,  married  Eli  Millikan, 
who  died  Aug.  23,  1885,  and  she  now  lives 
with  her  sons  at  Indianapolis.  Martha,  mar- 
ried Julius  Benlow,  and  they  now  reside  in 
New  Castle.  She  has  two  sons  in  Chicago 
and  two  in  Kalamazoo.  Isabel,  the  writer, 
married  Philip  Stanford,  who  died  in  1853, 
about  five  years  after  their  marriage,  and  she 
has  ever  since  remained  a  widow.  Mary, 
married  Charles  Roe,  who  died  in  the  year 
1876,  and  she  and  her  daughter  Alice  now 
live  in  Englewood,  111.  One  of  her  daughters 
married  J.  H.  Wright,  a  Christian  minister, 
and  Elza  Roe,  her  son,  lives  on  the  farm. 

Elder  Elijah  Martindale  had  taken  some 
lessons  in  shoe-making  in  his  early  life,  and 
it  was  a  means  of  saving  him  from  bank- 
ruptcy no  doubt.  He  generally  purchased 
his  leather  from  John  Powell,  who  often  made 
a  reduction  on  the  bill  at  the  time  of    settle- 


150  PIONEER  HISTORY  OF 

ment.  He  was  sometimes  called  away  from 
the  bench  to  preach  a  funeral  or  attend  to 
other  duties,  disappointing  the  little  urchin 
that  was  sitting  by  waiting  for  the  new  shoes 
to  be  completed. 

In  the  year  1839,  a  kiln  of  brick  was  manu- 
factured preparatory  to  building  a  new  house 
next  season.  Nearly  all  the  work  was  com- 
pleted by  members  of  the  family.  A  molder 
was  hired  and  one  boy  to  help  E.  B.,  then 
eleven  years  old,  in  bearing  off  the  brick. 

S.  C.  Martindale,  the  next  younger  than  E. 
B.,  was  afflicted  with  a  white  swelling  in  his 
childhood,  and  was  for  many  years  a  great 
sufferer.  Many  pieces  of  bones  exhuded  from 
his  leg,  some  of  them  an  inch  in  length.  He 
lay  for  many  weeks  so  low  and  wornout  with 
suffering  that  no  one  could  hope  for  his  re- 
covery. The  Martindale  family  suffered 
more  or  less  from  all  the  diseases  incident  to 
a  new  country,  yet  one  thing  seems  remark- 
able to  record;  there  was  a  space  of  forty  years 
during  which  the  angel  of  death  never  tipped 
his  icy  wing  or  perched  near  to  select  a  victim 
from  that  large  family  circle  of  parents  and 
fourteen  children.  Miles,  their  first  born 
son,  died  in  1824,  aged  seven.  The  next  was 
Matilda  E.  Rulon,  who  died  in  the  year  1864. 


THE  MARTINDALE  FAMILY.  151 

During  this  long  period  all  the  children 
were  married  except  Lizzie,  who  afterwards 
became  the  wife  of  Luther  Hennigh.  Two  of 
those  adopted  by  marriage  were  called  away 
by  the  hand  of  death  during  this  time.  The 
first  was  Amelia,  formerly  Mansfield,  the 
first  wife  of  E.  B.  Martindale,  a  woman  of 
more  than  ordinary  intellect.  The  other  was 
Philip  Stanford,  husband  to  the  writer,  a 
very  amiable  citizen,  noted  for  his  honesty 
and  industry.  Also  the  aged  grandmother, 
widow  of  Samuel  Boyd,  was  during  this  forty 
years  called  away  from  the  Martindale  family 
circle  where  she  had  found  a  welcome  home 
during  most  of  the  seventeen  years  she  sur- 
vived her  husband.  She  died  October  31, 1852. 
Since  then  the  homes  of  nearly  all  the  chil- 
dren have  been  darkened  by  the  shadow  of 
death.  Elder  Elijah  Martindale  and  Eliza- 
beth, his  wife,  and  two  more  of  that  band  of 
fourteen  have  been  called  away.  The  golden 
sunlight  has  faded  forever  from  the  home  of 
J.  B.  Martindale  in  the  death  of  his  wife, 
Anna  Liz,  and  three  sweet  little  girls,  Julia, 
Bettie  .and  Lottie.  Ruth,  wife  of  W.  S. 
Martindale,  was  taken  away  and  Mary,  the 
youngest  daughter  living,  has  been  bereaved 
of   her    affectionate    husband,    Charles    Roe. 


152  THE  MARTINDALE  FAMILY. 

Alfred  Rulon,  who  was  left  to  fight  the  battles 
of  life  alone,  has  crossed  the  dark  river.  Eli 
Millikan  has  since  passed  over  and  many  of 
the  grandchildren  have  faded  away  in  the 
dew  of  youth,  while  life's  glad  morning  was 
full  of  hope.  The  last  one  of  that  large  family 
circle  that  fell  by  the  keen  sickle  was  Lizzie 
Hennigh,  the  youngest  daughter,  and  none 
can  tell  whom  the  reaper  will  call  for  next. 

"  Leaves  have  their  thiie  to  fall 

And  flowers  to  wither  at  the  North  wind's  breath, 
And  stars  to  set ;  but  all, 
Thou  hast  all  seasons  for  thine  own,  Oh  death." 


THE  BOYD  FAMILY.  1." 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE    BOYD    FAMILY. 

James,  the  oldest  son  of  Samuel  Boyd,  was 
born  in  Tennessee,  Dec.  5,  1786.  He  and 
his  brother  John  settled  on  adjoining  farms 
in  Wayne  county,  Ind.,  about  two  miles 
southwest  of  Washington.  He  was  first  mar- 
ried to  Margaret  Mitchel.  She  was  the 
mother  of  the  four  oldest  of  his  children. 
He  afterward  married  Hester  Ruby.  He  left 
his  farm  in  his  old  age,  and  moved  to  Rich- 
mond, w^here  he  departed  this  life  Sept.  29, 
1863.  He  had  a  large  family  of  children. 
Caroline,  his  oldest  daughter,  married  James 
O'Neal,  he  dying  she  married  a  Mr.  Willetts, 
by  whom  she  had  one  son  with  whom  she 
now  lives  near  Winchester.  She  had  a  num- 
ber of  O'Neal  children,  but  I  think  they  are 
all  dead. 

Mitchel  Boyd,  the  oldest  son  lived  on  a 
farm  in  Wayne  county  until  his  death,  which 
transpired  recently.  Philander,  the  second 
son    lives    in   Greenfield.  •  He    is  a    wealthy 


154  THE  BOYD  FAMILY. 

banker.  Abiram,  the  third  son,  was  also  a 
banker  of  Cambridge  City,  and  possessed  a 
goodly  fortune.     He  died  Nov.  13,  1885. 

Joseph  Perry,  the  oldest  son  by  the  second 
marriage,  was  a  physician,  and  moved  to  Mis- 
souri shortly  after  his  marriage.  He  lived 
there  until  his  death.  His  family  still  reside 
in  that  state.  William  Elza,  the  next  in 
order,  is  a  farmer  and  lives  near  Greenfield, 
Ind.  Isabel  Ann,  married  Lewis  Lesh,  a 
merchant.  They  are  both  dead.  Their 
family  lives  in  Illinois.  Amanda  Eveline, 
married  a  Mr.  Willetts,  a  farmer,  and  they 
live  in  Illinois.  James  Ruby  lives  some- 
where in  the  west.  Alfred  Dudley,  the 
youngest  son,  lives  on  a  farm  near  Jackson- 
burg.  John,  the  second  son  of  Samuel  Boyd, 
the  old  soldier  of  the  revolution,  was  born  in 
Madison  county,  Ky.,  May  12,  1789.  He 
married  Susan  Scott.  He  was  a  farmer  by 
trade,  although  he  was  not  able  to  pursue 
that  avocation  on  account  of  a  rheumatic  af- 
fection that  rendered  him  a  cripple  from  his 
youth.  He  was  large  and  corpulent,  and  yet 
dependent  upon  the  use  of  two  crutches  for 
his  power  of  locomotion.  He  left  his  farm 
in  his  old  age  and  moved  to  Dublin,  Ind., 
where  he  died  Dec.  11,  1872.     He  had  seven 


THE  BOYD  FAMILY."  155 

sons  and  five  daughters .  His  oldest  son  was  the 
late  Dr.  Samuel  Boyd,  of  Dublin,  Ind.  Nel- 
son, his  second  son  lives  in  Iowa.  William, 
the  third  son  was  major  in  the  army,  and  fell 
in  the  battle  of  Rocky  Face  in  1864.  James, 
his  fourth  son  is  a  farmer,  living  in  Wayne 
county,  Ind.  John,  the  fifth  son,  lived  on  a 
farm  in  Wayne  county,  where  he  died  of  a 
disease  contracted  in  the  army.  Joseph  Lewis, 
the  sixth  son,  died  at  New  Albany,  having  con- 
tracted a  fever  at  the  battle  of  Pittsburg 
Landing.  Oliver,  the  youngest  son  lives  in 
Iowa. 

Sarah  Ann  the  oldest  daughter  married 
Joel  Hypes,  who  died  in  the  army.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Eighth  Indiana  Regiment. 
She  married  again  to  a  Mr.  Goolman.  Her 
home  was  at  Kansas  City,  where  she  died. 
Eliza  Jane,  the  second  daughter,  married 
John  Commons.  They  now  live  in  Chicago. 
Mary  and  Martha,  the  next  two,  were  twins. 
Mary  married  John  H.  Witt,  and  she  lives 
in  Columbus,  Ohio.  Martha  married  Leburn 
Commons,  and  they  now  reside  in  Anderson, 
Indiana.  Susan,  the  youngest  daughter, 
married  Charles  Wilson,  a  dentist,  and  they 
live  in  Richmond,  Indiana. 

William,  the    third    son   of  Samuel  Boyd,. 


156  THP:  BOYD  FAMILY. 

the  old  revolutionary  soldier,  was  born  in 
Madison  county,  Kentucky,  March  24,  1781. 
He  was  twice  married.  First  to  Mary  Owen; 
she  dying,  he  married  Ruth  Young,  for- 
merly, Martindale.  He  owned  a  large  and 
beautiful  farm  on  the  AValnut  Level,  where 
he  died  September  22,  1846.  He  left  three 
sons  and  two  daughters. 

Samuel,  his  oldest  son,  lived  in  Hagers- 
town,  and  was  killed  by  a  saw-log  rolling 
over  his  body.  His  death  occurred  Decem- 
ber 23,  1889.  John,  the  second  son,  lived  on  a 
farm  near  New  Lisbon.  He  died  about  two 
years  ago.  William  M.,  the  third  son,  lives  in 
Indianapolis,  where  he  has  been  engaged  in 
mercantile  business. 

The  two  daughters,  Mary  Ann  and  Nancy, 
live  in  Dublin,  where  their  mother,  Ruth 
Boyd,  settled  when  she  left  the  farm.  They 
tenderly  cared  for  her  in  her  declining  years. 
Her  life  only  lacked  six  years  of  completing 
a  century. 

She  had  one  daughter  by  her  first  hus- 
band. Patsy  Young,  who  married  Branson 
Harris.  They  are  the  parents  of  A.  C.  Har- 
ris, an  attorney  of  Indianapolis,  and  Alonzo, 
a  farmer  near  Washington,  Wayne  county. 

Samuel  K.,  the  fourth  son  of  Samuel  Boyd, 


THE  BOYD  FAMILY.  157 

the  revolutionary  so]dier,  was  born  in  Ken- 
tucky, June  29,  1794.  He  was  married  first  to 
Martha  Lewis  and  settled  near  Williamsburg. 
He  had  by  this  wife  one  son,  James,  who 
died  in  childhood,  and  five  daughters,  Pris- 
cilla,  who  married  James  Clemens  and  set- 
tled in  Randolph  county,  and  Narcissa,  who 
married  John  Chamness,  of  Williamsburg, 
and  is  deceased;  Sarah  Ann,  who  married 
Joseph  Lomax,  a  lawyer  of  Kalamazoo,  Mich.; 
Evelina,  who  married  William  A.  Peelle,  now 
living  in  Richmond;  Martha,  wife  of  Winston 
W.  Harris,  who  lives  in  Centreville.  xVfter 
the  death  of  his  first  wife,  Samuel  K.  Boyd 
married  Bethany  Ladd,  by  whom  he  had  nine 
children,  four  sons  and  five  daughters. 
William,  the  oldest  son,  lives  in  Rich- 
mond. Isabel,  the  oldest  daughter,  married 
Thomas  Fagan.  Catharine,  the  second 
daughter,  married  William  Goodrich.  Mary 
married  John  Keever;  she  died  leaving  two 
children.  Bethany,  the  youngest  daughter, 
took  care  of  her  father  until  his  death,  which 
transpired  October  23,  1888;  she  afterwards 
married  John  Lasley.  John  and  Amanda 
died  quite  young.  Joseph  S.  died  in  1865, 
the  day  of  his  discharge  from  the  United 
States  arni}^  in  Texas.      Robert,  the  youngest 


158  THE  BOYD  FAMILY. 

son  of  Samuel  Boyd,  the  old  soldier  of  the 
revolution,  was  born  October  24,  1798.  He 
married  Narcissa  Stinson.  He  was  the  father 
of  William  and  James  Boyd  of  Henry  county. 
He  also  had  three  daughters,  Louisa,  the 
wife  of  James  C.  Peed,  and  Martha  Jane,  his 
former  wife,  and  Mary  Ann,  wife  of  Henry 
Bond,  living  in  Wayne  county.  Robert 
moved  to  Henry  county  at  a  very  early  day 
and  built  a  cabin  in  the  woods  where  James' 
residence  now  stands.  He  was  a  very  worthy 
citizen  and  greatly  respected  by  all  who  knew 
him,  but  he  was  cut  down  in  the  midst  of  his 
years  by  a  malignant  fever  that  visited  that 
neighborhood  in  1852  and  '53.  His  death 
-occurred  February  24,  1853.  The  disease 
w^as  so  fatal  in  its  nature  that  it  took  away 
more  than  fifty  per  cent,  of  those  who  were 
attacked.  Several  homes  were  entirely  broken 
up  when  the  disease  subsided. 

Samuel  Boyd  had  three  daughters  younger 
than  Elizabeth.  Martha,tbeoldestof  the  three, 
was  born  November  27,  1800.  She  married 
Joseph  Lewis,  who  became  one  of  Wayne 
county's  wealthiest  citizens  His  home  was 
near  Williamsburg,  and  now  belongs  to  Will- 
iam Hunt,  who  married  Josephine  Lewis. 
Only  two  sons  were  born  to  them.      Samuel, 


THE  BOYD  FAMILY.  159 

their  first  born  son,  died  in  childhood,  "and 
John  Harvey  Lewis  lives  in  the  West.  They 
had  ten  daughters,  four  of  whom  are  living. 
Two  died  in  childhood,  and  four  have  been 
taken  awajMiiore  recently,  to  wit:  Louisa  Cra- 
ner,  Minerva  Swearingen,  Adaline,  unmar- 
ried, and  Larinda  Clawson.  Caroline  Stiggle- 
man,  Clarissa  Smith,  Narcissa  Jenkinson  and 
Josephine  Hunt  are  all  living  in  Wayne 
county.  Mr.  Jenkinson,  husband  to  Narcissa, 
has  long  been  editor  of  the  Richmond  Palla- 
dium, and  is  also  postmaster  in  that  city. 

Martha,  wife  of  Joseph  Lewis,  died  October 
22,  1882.  Her  husband  survived  her  only  a 
few  months.  He  departed  this  life  March 
4,  1883. 

Mary,  the  third  daughter  of  Samuel  Boyd, 
was  born  in  Kentucky,  January  20,  1803. 
She  married  Abner  Bradbury,  a  man  who 
stood  high  in  rank  among  his  cotemporaries, 
both  in  intellect  and  morals.  He  was  ele :'ted 
to  the  Indiana  Legislature,  once  to  the  Lower 
House  and  twice  to  the  Senate.  They  had 
seven  sons,  all  well  to  do  in  life,  and  all  liv- 
ing until  a  few  weeks  ago,  January  23,  1892. 
Dr.  Allison  Bradbury,  the  youngest  son,  was 
killed  while  driving  across  the  railroad  track, 
coming  in  contact  with  the  lightning  express 


160  THE  BOYD  FAMILY. 

train.  His  wife,  and  son  and  daughter,  both 
grown,  live  in  Muncie.  William,  the  oldest 
son  of  Abner  and  Mary  Bradbury,  lives  in 
Richmond,  where  he  has  long  been  a  dealer 
in  real  estate. 

James,  the  second  son,  is  a  farmer,  and 
lives  in  Henry  county,  near  New  Castle. 
Samuel,  the  third  son,  is  in  the  mercantile 
business,  and  lives  in  Ohio.  D.  M.  Brad- 
bury, the  fourth  son,  is  a  lawyer  and  capital- 
ist of  Indianapolis.  Burns,  the  fifth  son, 
lives  in  Muncie,  Indiana.  He  has  a  farm 
near  by,  that  he  oversees.  Albert,  the  sixth 
son,  has  long  been  a  resident  of  Cambridge 
City,  Indiana;  he  follows  mercantile  pur- 
suit. Walter,  a  little  son,  died  August  16, 
1848. 

The  daughters  were:  Isabel,  who  married 
James  Leeson.  She  died  February  18,  1880. 
Caroline  married  James  Russell,  a  farmer, 
and  they  live  near  Alexandria,  Indiana. 
Lizzie  married  Isaac  Harned,  who  has  been 
dead  a  number  of  years.  She  lives  in  Cam- 
bridge City,  Indiana.  Martha  Jane  married 
Josephus  Mundell.  They  live  on  a  farm 
near  Hagerstown,  Indiana.  Mary  died  be- 
fore she  arrived  to  womanhood.  Her  death 
occurred  September  30,  1855. 


THE  BOYD  FAMILY.  1(51 

Emma,  the  youngest  daughter,  faithfully 
took  care  of  her  aged  parents  in  all  the  afflic- 
tions that  came  to  them  before  death  released 
them  from  tliis  clayey  tenement. 

Abner  M.  Bradbury  died  September  18, 
1885.  Mary,  wife  of  Abner  M.  Bradbury, 
died  February  16,  1890. 

Isabel,  the  youngest  daughter  of  Samuel 
Boyd,  was  born  April  26,  1805.  She  mar- 
ried William  Ladd.  They  lived  on  a  farm 
near  Williamsburgh,  Wayne  county,  Indi- 
ana, where  the}^  enjoyed  a  reasonable  degree 
of  health,  ])ut  with  a  desire  to  increase  his 
possessions,  he  made  a  disastrous  move  to 
Grant  county.  There  was  much  sickness  in 
the  locality  where  they  settled  and  they  soon 
became  the  sad  victims  of  disease.  Catha- 
rine, their  oldest  daughter,  married  Jonathan 
Wright.  She  was  taken  away  with  fever. 
Samuel  and  Cicero,  the  two  next,  died  witli 
consumption.  They  both  left  families.  Abel, 
the  tliird  son,  died  with  fever  peculiar  to  the 
climate.  Caroline,  the  youngest  daughter, 
died  with  some  lingering  mental  malady. 
Constantine  was  killed  by  the  falling  of  a 
tree.  Only  Boyd,  the  youngest  son,  is  liv- 
ing. The  parents  died,  the  mother  with  con- 
sumption, September  14,  1864  ;  the  father, 
with  fever. 
11 


162  DR.  BOYD  AND  BROTHERS 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Anti-Slavery  Principles— Doctor  Boyd  and  His  Broth- 
ers in  the  Army  —Death  of  Doctor  Boyd— Luxury  of 
Officials. 

The  descendants  of  Samuel  Boyd  inherited 
anti-slavery  principles  from  childhood.  The 
idea  seemed  to  be  inherent  with  them  that 
God  had  given  to  the  whole  human  family 
certain  inalienable  rights  and  that  among 
these  were  life,  liberty  and  the  pursuit  of 
liappiness.  During  the  long  conflict  in  which 
the  talent  of  our  great  nation  was  exerting 
master  skill  in  trying  to  harmonize  two  con- 
tending forces,  slavery  and  freedom,  there 
was  not  in  all  that  fraternity  an  apologist  for 
the  horrid  features  of  American  slavery.  De- 
nunciations went  up  long  and  loud  when 
Henr}^  Clay  presented  his  infamous  bill  called 
the  '^  Fugitive  Slave  Law." 

Ah,  why  was  slavery  allowed  to  set  its 
cloven  foot  upon  soil  that  had  been  conse- 
crated to  freedom  by  the  blood  of  patriots,  bv 
the  martyred  hosts  that  had  been  sacrificed  in 
the  name  of  libertv?     It  was  a  canker-worm 


IN  THE  AR.AIY.  163 

that  had  been  left  to  prey  upon  the  vitals  of 
our  nation,  sapping  its  life-blood  and  spread- 
ing blight  and  mildew  in  its  course  through 
a  long  vista  of  years,  germinating  strife  and 
internal  discord  until  it  at  last  culminated  in 
the  great  rebellion. 

When  the  civil  war  broke  out  and  the  mar- 
tial drums  were  beating  and  calling  loudly 
for  volunteers,  there  was  but  one  family  of 
the  Boyds  that  gave  a  heavy  response  to  the 
call  and  that  was  the  family  of  John  Boyd, 
then  living  in  Dublin.  Four  sons  and  two 
sons-in-law  enlisted  in  the  Union  army,  all  of 
them  heads  of  families.  Three  of  them  never 
saw  home  after  the}-  went  into  the  service, 
and  one  came  home  an  invalid  and  died  from 
disease  contracted  in  the  army.  The  late  Dr. 
Samuel  S.  Boyd,  of  Dublin,  was  the  oldest  of 
the  four  brothers  who  enlisted  in  the  army. 
He  was  surgeon  of  the  Eighty-fourth  Indi- 
ana Regiment.  I  called  on  him  for  some 
notes  relative  to  their  army  life  and  he  pre- 
pared me  a  very  affecting  letter  which  I  will 
give  entire. 

"  Joseph  L.  Boyd,  the  youngest  of  the  four 
brothers  who  went  into  the  army,  enlisted  as 
a  private  in  the  Fifty-seventh  Regiment  In- 
diana Volunteers   in    the    summer    of   1861. 


104  l^R-  BOYD  AND  BROTHERS 

After  various  hardships  in  Kentucky  in  the 
winter  of  1861  and  1862,  he  was  engaged  in 
his  first  and  h^ist  battle  at  Pittsburg  Landing, 
April,  1862.  From  the  terrible  exposure 
there  in  almost  continuous  rain  for  two  weeks 
without  tents,  he  was  attacked  with  typhoid 
pneumonia,  from  which  he  died  early  in  ^lay 
at  New  Albany,  Indiana,  having  been  brought 
there  to  a  hospital  in  a  boat.  Seeing  his 
name  among  the  sick  arrivals  at  Louisville, 
I  took  the  next  train  for  that  place.  After 
hunting  over  the  hospital  for  him  I  went  over 
to  New  Albany  and  found  him  there  dying. 
He  seemed  to  know  me  and  spoke  of  home, 
of  the  war,  of  friends  and  his  family  in  such 
confusion  that  I  could  feel  sure  of  nothing 
more  than  that  he  had  a  vague  belief  that  I 
was  his  brother  or  some  near  friend.  He  died 
about  twelve  hours  after  I  arrived,  talking 
incoherently  to  the  last.  This  being  my  first 
great  trial  during  the  war  it  was  the  most 
agonizing  of  all.  I  had  gone  to  Pittsburg 
Landing  after  the  battle,  at  Governor  Morton's 
request.  I  left  Lewis  well,  but  I  thought  he 
was  so  anxious  to  see  his  family,  asking  if  I 
thought  the  war  would  soon  be  over;  then 
to  meet  him  so  soon  after  on  his  wav  home 


IN  THE  ARMY.  165 

which  he  only  reached  in  his  coffin,  is  the 
saddest  remembrance  of  my  life. 

"John,  William  and  myself  were  all  mem- 
bers of  the  Eighty-fourth  Regiment  of 
Indiana  Volunteers.  The  regiment  left  Rich- 
mond in  August,  1862.  We  first  went  to 
Kentucky  to  guard  Cincinnati  against  Kirby 
Smith,  then  to  West  Virginia.  The  spring 
of  1863  found  us  in  Tennessee.  The  first 
battle  in  which  the  Eighty-fourth  took  part 
was  Chickamauga,  in  which  we  lost  123  men, 
killed  and  wounded.  When  Sherman,  in 
the  spring  of  1864,  moved  toward  Atlanta, 
William  A.  Boyd,  then  major  of  the  regiment, 
was  wounded  in  the  first  engagement  at 
Rocky  Face,  May  19.  He  was  taken  back  to 
Chattanooga,  after  having  his  right  leg  ampu- 
tated at  the  thigh,  w^here  he  died  July  11th, 
two  months  and  one  day  after  he  was  wound- 
ed. His  wife  was  with  him  about  three 
wrecks  before  he  died.  She  brought  him 
home,  and  he  was  interred  at  Centerville. 
No  braver  soldier  ever  laid  down  his  life  for 
his  country  than  Major  Boyd.  He  Avas  com- 
missioned captain  before  leaving  Wayne 
county.  He  was  afterward  promoted  to  ma- 
jor, and  when  he  was  wounded  he  had  a 
lieutenant-colonel's    commission,     but     had 


166  DR.  BOYD  A^'D  BR0THP:RS 

never  been  mustered  in  as  such.  John  F. 
Boyd  was  mustered  into  the  Eighty-fourth  as 
private,  afterward  appointed  orderly-sergeant, 
then  promoted  to  lieutenant.  He  was  with 
his  regiment  and  went  with  Sherman  to  At- 
lanta, then  came  back  with  General  Thomas 
to  Nashville.  He  was  in  the  battle  at  Frank- 
lin and  Nashville,  and  with  the  Eighty-fourth 
was  mustered  out  in  June,  1865.  He  lived 
ten  years  after  the  war,  but  never  saw  a  well 
day  on  account  of  disease  contracted  in  the 
army,  chronic  diarrhea  ending  in  ulceration 
of  the  stomach.  Joel  Hipes,  my  brother- 
in-law,  enlisted  in  the  Eighth  Indiana 
Regiment,  and  died  at  St.  Louis,  Mis- 
souri, early  in  1862.  John  M.  Commons 
was  quartermaster  of  the  Fifty-seventh." 

Dr.  Samuel  S.  Boyd,  the  only  surviving 
one  of  the  four  brothers  when  this  sketch 
was  written,  has  since  been  called  away  from 
the  shores  of  time.  He  departed  this  life 
April  15,  1888.  He  was  a  man  of  good  in- 
tellect and  a  true  philanthropist,  willing  to 
espouse  any  cause,  however  unpopular,  if  it 
seemed  to  forebode  good  to  his  fellow-men. 
He  was  found  at  the  front  in  nearly  every 
good  work.  He  was  a  reformer  in  the  true 
sense  of  the  word . 


IX  THE  ARMY.  167 

When  I  received  his  letter,  telling  the  sad 
tale  of  their  army  life,  I  attempted  to  read  it 
aloud  to  those  present,  and  although  the 
cycles  of  time  had  measured  twenty-five  years 
since  that  terrible  battle  at  Pittsburg  Landing, 
my  voice  faltered  and  failed  at  the  description 
of  the  poor  soldiers  without  tents  in  that 
drenching  rain,  while  they  stood  so  long  as 
targets  for  rebel  guns,  and  were  falling  by 
scores  every  hour.  We  are  too  forgetful  of 
the  sufferings  endured  by  the  private  soldiers. 
While  there  is  a  blaze  of  glory  that  encircles 
the  head  of  the  commander  who  has  led  his 
troops  on  to  victory,  yet  the  names  of  the  pri- 
vate soldiers  who  fought  bra\^ely  and  fell  in  the 
conflict  are  forever  obliterated  from  the  pages 
of  history,  and  from  the  memory  of  those 
who  live  to  enjoy  the  blessings  for  which  they 
fought.  If  all  the  money  spent  in  extrav- 
agance and  debauchery  by  our  ofiicials  at 
Washington  City,  and  especially  what  has 
been  so  disgracefully  appropriated  to  funeral 
processions,  were  given  to  the  poor  soldiers,  it 
would  seem  more  like  equality. 

The  people  of  this  nation  should  wage  a 
constant  warfare  against  those  high  circles  in 
which  the  rulers  of  our  Nation  desecrate  their 
office  by    luxury    and    self-indulgence.      We 


168  DR.  BOYD  AND  BROTHERS. 

need  more  of  the  spirit  of  Washington,  who 
declined  to  occupy  a  fine  mansion,  donated 
him  by  wealthy  citizens  after  he  became  presi- 
dent. He  said  his  old  house  was  good 
enough.  We  are  drifting  too  far  away  from 
the  virtue  of  our  noble  ancestors. 


PIONEER  LIFE  AT  MT.  VERNON.  169 


CHAPTER  VII. 

PIONEER    LIFE  AT  MT.   VERNON. 

While  I  am  giving  incidents  relative  to  the 
early  settlers  of  this  country,  a  good  part  of 
which  is  family  history,  I  feel  that  it  would 
be  interesting  to  giv0  brief  sketches  from  the 
lives  of  others.  I  have  before  me  a  letter 
written  by  a  very  aged  man  who  in  his  child- 
hood days  was  familiar  at  the  Mt.  A^ernon 
homestead.  He  had  accompanied  his  father 
who  was  one  of  the  guests  that  met  to  wel- 
come the  honored  hero  when  he  returned 
home  to  domestic  life  at  the  termination  of 
his  second  presidential  term.  The  occasion 
was  made  one  of  general  rejoicing.  The 
writer  said:  ''I  have  looked  upon  many 
mighty  men;  I  have  seen  the  great  Napoleon 
in  his  full  flush  of  pride  and  triumph;  I  have 
seen  George  IV,  the  first  gentleman  of  Eu- 
rope; I  have  personally  known  Lord  Byron, 
Sir  Walter  Scott,  Daniel  O'Connell,  Dan- 
iel Webster  and  many  others  most  famous  in 
the  affairs  of  government,    arms,    literature, 


170         PIONEER  LIFE  AT  MT.  VERNON. 

statesmanship  and  oratory,  but  never  have  I 
seen  any  other  man  who  impressed  me,  child 
though  I  was,  with  such  massive  presence  as 
did  General  Washington  when  he  stood  upon 
the  veranda  at  Mt.  Vernon  and  in  a  few  well 
chosen  words  thanked  us  for  our  demonstra- 
tion of  welcome. 

''  Down  in  the  negro  quarters  numerous 
pot-pies  were  cooking  and  many  juicy  oppos- 
sums  were  roasting  before  the  brightly  burning- 
wood  fires.  Then  in  the  grand  old  banquet 
hall  at  ^It.  Vernon  Washington  and  his 
country  neighbors  sat  down  to  one  of  the  old- 
fashioned  rural  Virginia  suppers  of  that 
period.  Oh,  those  were  halcyon  days  in  'Ole 
Viginny,'  when  neighbors  met  together,  ricli 
and  poor  alike,  to  help  each  other  at  log- 
rollings, barn  raisings,  harvestings,  huskings 
and  to  frolic  merrily  when  the  work  was  done. 
Long  after  I  was  a  married  man  great  big 
gals  in  old  Virginny,  with  long  waist  ribbons 
and  dress  sleeves  puffed  out  like  a  balloon, 
would  carry  their  shoes  under  their  arm  until 
they  came  close  to  the  meeting-house,  then 
they  would  stop  and  put  them  on  and  they'd 
holler  for  General  Jackson  if  it  killed  them. 

''Those  who  are  familiar  with  the  Mt. 
Vernon  of  to-dav  with  its  two  hundred  acres 


PIONEER  LIFE  AT  MT.  YERXUX.  171 

can  scarcely  realize  that  in  Washington's 
time  it  numbered  several  thousand.  It  was 
originally  known  as  the  Hunting  Creek  es- 
tate, but  when  Laurence  Washington,  George's 
half  brother,  inherited  it  from  their  father, 
he  re-christened  it  Mt.  Vernon  in  honor  of 
the  British  admiral  under  whom  he  had 
served  in  the  disastrous  campaign  against 
Carthagenia  in  South  America.  At  his  death 
it  descended  to  his  daughter  Jennie  and  she 
died  soon  after  and  the  estate  fell  to  George 
Washington. 

''No  man  was  ever  more  thoroughly  fa- 
miliar with  every  detail  of .  his  affairs  or 
gave  closer  supervision  to  his  estate  than  did 
George  Washington.  Those  were  the  days 
when  the  women  pulled  the  flax  while  the  men 
broke,  swingled  and  hackled  it,  then  twisted  it 
into  little  cues  for  the  women  to  spin  and 
weave.  I  have  seen  the  immortal  George 
stoop  down  and  pull  flax  to  show  some  green 
hand  among  the  women  how  it  should  be 
done.  This  flax  raising  was  among  the  chief 
industries  at  Mt.  Vernon  and  even  now  I 
seem  to  see  there  bleaching  in  the  sun  the 
long  strips,  white  as  the  driven  snow,  from 
which  sheets,  pillow-cases,  towels,  table- 
cloths,    napkins,    underclothing    and    even 


172         PIONEER  LIFE  AT  MT.  VERNON. 

pants  for  the  great  Washington  himself  were 
made.  In  my  mind's  63^6  I  see  again  the  fe- 
male slaves  carding  wool  with  hand-cards 
into  rolls  ready  to  spin  on  their  big  wheels. 
I  imagine  I  hear  them  singing  their  qnaint 
old  plantation  hymns  and  songs  of  the  South 
as  the  wheels  go  merrily  round,  while  mov- 
ing ubiquitously  oyer  every  part  of  the 
estate  I  see  once  more  the  tall,  erect  figure  of 
the  master." 

This  history  seemed  so  wonderful  to  me 
that  I  felt  inclined  to  copy  it,  given  so  re- 
cently by  one  whose  memory  reached  back  to 
the  year  1797,  and  was  a  frequent  visitor  at 
the  Mt.  Vernon  homestead  during  the  nearly 
three  years  it  was  occupied  by  the  retired 
president.  The  large  estate  at  Mt. Vernon  was 
only  visited  once  by  George  Washington  dur- 
ing the  war  which  lasted  nearly  eight  years. 
He  then  remained  at  the  homestead  until  he 
was  called  to  the  presidential  chair,  his  inaug- 
uration taking  place  at  New  York,  April  30, 
1789.  After  serving  the  people  faithfully 
eight  years  in  that  capacity,  he  then  retired  to 
Mt.  Vernon  at  the  age  of  sixty-five.  France 
now  threatened  hostilities  and  General  Wash- 
ington was  again  made  commander-in-chief 
of  the  American  army.     While  on  duty  he 


PI02sKER  LIFE  AT  :\IT.  VER^OX.  173 


was  exposed  to  a  ride  in  a  snow -storm  whicli 
brought  on  an  attack  of  acute  laryngitis  which 
hastily  terminated  his  life.  He  owned  one 
hundred  and  twenty-four  slaves  at  the  time  of 
his  death  which  had  come  to  him  with  a  large 
estate  when  he  married  the  beautiful  young- 
widow  of  Col.  Daniel  P.  Curtis.  George  Wash- 
ington provided  in  his  will  that  all  his  slaves 
should  be  set  free  at  the  death  of  his  wife, 
who  survived  him  only  three  years.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Episcopal  church  until  his 
death,  yet  some  history  fell  into  my  hands 
lately  stating  that  John  Gano,  a  Baptist  min- 
ister who  was  chaplain  in  the  Revolutionary 
army,  baptized  George  Washington  in  the  Po- 
tomac river.  This  history  is  attested  to  by 
the  Gano  descendants. 

I  have  given  these  brief  incidents  of  fron- 
tier life  as  they  are  connected  with  that  great 
man  so  loved  and  honored  by  the  American 
people. 


.  I 


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